Lovers Lost and Lovers Found
by Bedlam87
Summary: Howell and Katie are trying to figure out what they're doing, but will one of them be ripped away before that can happen. OC/OC with some Becker/Jess
1. Prologue

**Yay! Howell and Katie get their turn in the spotlight! Never fear there will be plenty of Becker and Jess, with a smattering of Connor and Abby. This begins just after Jess and Becker's wedding, so no plots from the seasons at all. Enjoy!**

**P.S Please review, this is one of the stories where I'll really need input to keep me going, and I'm not afraid to admit it. It's much harder to write when it's just your own characters.**

Sergeant James Howell felt the stairs warp beneath him seconds before the entire structure collapsed sending him plummeting towards the hard ground below. He heard someone scream his name, but couldn't tell who it was over the rumble of falling timber. Blinding pain shot through his gut as he hit the ground hard, and he groaned as the dust and debris settled around him.

"You alright Sergeant?" one of the soldiers asked, but Howell couldn't breathe well enough to answer. His head swam and his chest hurt, but other than that he felt surprisingly good. It took him a second to gather the strength to look at himself and access the damage. He figured he would be able to get up in a minute, until he felt a warm sensation slowly spreading in his belly. _That can't be good,_ he thought. He glanced down at the spot the warmth was coming from and dropped his head back down as a wave of nausea nearly overtook him. _Definitely not good, _he confirmed to himself. His hand carefully gripped the long bloody piece of re-bar that had pierced his back and was now sticking out of his stomach like some kind of macabre flagpole.

"Howell? Can you hear me?" her voice was like a breath of fresh air. He let it flow over him until he heard it again.

"Howell? Are you okay?" Everything in him screamed for him to answer her, so forced his body to comply.

"No." The strain of saying that one word made his head spin and as darkness overtook him, he thought about the mad little pixie he'd fallen in love with.


	2. Chapter 1

**Okay so that first chapter was just to get things set up. I think I have a plan when it comes to this story, but I'm not entirely sure so bear with me. I hope you like it!**

Howell floated in and out of consciousness, hearing voices talking to him, but he didn't have the strength to answer.

_Becker walked into the gym where most of the soldiers were waiting to start training. Luckily for them it was their training day, so they didn't have to worry about rushing off to an anomaly. The general greetings that were shouted to their C.O. tapered off quickly when a young woman, who didn't look like she'd even his seventeen yet, followed him in. _

"_Morning gentlemen," Becker said drawing everyone's attention away from the new girl and back to him. The girl next to him stared hard at the floor, her hands playing nervously with the hem of her gauzy sundress. Not that Howell wasn't pleased to see another pretty, well gorgeous might be a better word, girl at the ARC but wondered what the hell she was doing here. Luckily for him Becker decided to introduce her._

"_Men this is Kathryn Bennett," he said indicating the young woman at his side, "She's our new lead medic."_

"_Call me Katie," she said softly as most of the eyes looking at her went wide in surprise._

_The only thing that kept his mouth from dropping was his military training. Her thick red hair was pulled up into a loose braid with a few strands falling out to frame her face, and he really wanted to brush them out of her face as an excuse to touch her. She looked more like a freaking pixie than a combat medic, let alone one who called the shots. How the hell was she supposed to order around a bunch of medics when she couldn't even look them in the eye? Apparently he wasn't the only one who felt the same._

"_The shy ones are always the wildest. Twenty bucks says I get her in bed within a week." He heard the private in front of him mutter to his friend. Becker had apparently heard it since he was glaring daggers at the young man, and judging from the blush slowly covering Kathryn's face, she heard it too. Howell really wanted to deck the guy, and felt his fist clench in preparation when her voice stopped him._

"_It was nice meeting you all, but I have to go check in with someone named Parker," she said her eyes once again glued to the floor._

"_I'll show you where it is. Just give me one second." Becker said. Kathryn, or Katie as she seemed to prefer, nodded._

"_I'll wait outside," she said before turning on her heal and leaving the room. As soon as she was outside the door Becker spoke._

"_Someone smack that idiot for me," he said without turning around. Howell was more than happy to comply and smacked the private on the back of the head as hard as he could. The resounding crack and yelp of pain made Howell smile despite the glare the young man threw his way. Howell may agree that she most likely shouldn't be in the field, but that was no reason to disrespect her. The Sargent was almost positive he saw a small smirk on the Captain's face, but it disappeared just as suddenly and his dangerous face was back in place._

"_I thought we had this problem taken care of after the incident with Ms. Maitland," Becker said staring down the private, who was doing his best to look as small as possible. Howell fought to contain a smirk remembering very well when one of the soldiers had decided Connor wasn't man enough for Abby and offered himself as a replacement, in rather graphic terms. He'd spent the rest of the day unconscious and had gotten teased about the huge black eye he'd been sporting when he returned to training. _

"_I don't want to hear anything like that again," Becker said with a final warning glare at the men. "Lieutenant King will conduct your training." The men grumbled a little as they walked to the stations they'd been assigned to and began their workout. Howell settled on one of the treadmills and turned it up to a quick jog to get warmed up. The two men on the treadmills next to him quickly included him in their conversation, whether he wanted it or not._

"_She's gonna get us killed," the man to his right said with a vehemence that surprised Howell, and worried him a little. Sure she was shy, but that was no reason to think she was incompetent._

"_She wouldn't be here if she couldn't do the job," Howell said, though he wasn't sure why he was defending her._

"_What are you? Her knight in shining armor?" the one on Howell's left had finally decided to voice his opinion and Howell chuckled to himself at the mental image of him in a full suit of armor. _

"_She probably earned the position on her back," the man on the right quipped. He suddenly found himself flying backwards as Howell jumped off his own treadmill and hauled the guy off his by the back of his shirt. Howell tossed the other man to the floor with a thud loud enough to grab the attention of nearby soldiers and planted a foot solidly in his chest, effectively pinning him to the ground._

"_I don't know her any better than you do," he said quietly, his tone laced with a promise of more violence, "But I do not want to hear anything like that again about her or any other woman in this facility." He looked around at the other soldiers nearby, making sure they knew that his message was meant for them as well. Howell pressed his foot into the man's chest a little harder before letting him up. Howell could feel the soldiers watching him as he walked back over to his treadmill, but he ignored them and just started running. He knew he had a reputation for being a nice guy, but he made sure none of the guys forgot that he was just as ruthless as the rest of them when he was pushed._

Light flashed through Howell's eyelids and he groaned at the pain it sent shooting through his head.

"James?" Howell could hear her voice again and she sounded worried, scared even. He hated it when she was scared. He'd protected her from day one and he wasn't going to stop now. He told his hands to help push him up, but they didn't move and he groaned as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Katie fought back a rising panic as she looked over the edge of the broken staircase into the darkness below. Her blood had pretty much frozen in her veins when she'd heard Howell basically telling her he was hurt.

"Get Becker here now," she snapped at the nearest soldier the nearest soldier who quickly hailed Captain Becker on the radio.

"What do you need?" another soldier asked her as he took a step forward. Katie took a second to thank God for people who could keep their head in an emergency.

"Climbing equipment. We need to get a medic down there fast." The soldier took off at a run and Katie resumed her place at the ledge, trying to see Howell.

"Howell," she called again trying to keep the fear from her voice. _Please let him still be alive_, she thought. A tap on her shoulder was quickly followed by a flashlight shoved into her line of vision.

"Thanks," she threw over her shoulder without taking her eyes away from the area they thought Howell had landed, but since there was no light in this damn place they could barely see three feet in front of them let alone two stories. The flashlight wasn't much help, but she didn't give up.

"James!" she called and once again she didn't get an answer. She sighed in relief when she heard a stampede of thundering boots.

"Anything?" Becker asked as he squatted next to her. Katie shook her head, but didn't look at him.

"He answered once, but nothing since then."

"Ma'am? I got the equipment." Becker and Katie both turned to look at the young soldier who was holding up a harness and ropes. Becker snapped his head around to look at her.

"Who's going down?" he asked. Katie could hear the tension in his voice and knew it was because he'd figured out that she'd be the one repelling down to the injured man. Katie grabbed the harness and started slipping it over her legs.

"I'm the lightest," she said fumbling with the straps that would secure her into the pulley system, "so it makes the most sense for me to go."

"Just stay in contact," he said making her look up in surprise. He tapped his ear piece and she nodded, still stunned that he hadn't put up more of a fight. She knew Becker wasn't sexist, but he had become a little more protective of her after she'd become friends with his fiancé. He pulled over the carabineer that was attached to the tie off rope and hooked it into her belt. She set her feet at the edge of the broken staircase and settled her weight back into open air.

"Be careful," Becker said just before she dropped out of sight.


	3. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews, they make the writing go so much faster. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and hate Burton (though he makes a pretty good villain) as much as I do. **

Katie was lowered softly to the ground and instantly brought her flashlight up before unclipping herself from the rope.

"I'm down," she said into her earpiece. She walked carefully, stepping over and around the scattered pieces of wood and metal, searching for Howell.

"Copy that," Becker's voice sounded in her ear, "You see him yet?" Katie used the surprisingly dim beam of the flashlight sweep the room, stopping with a gasp when she saw a crumpled body on the floor. She was next to him in an instant pushing a few pieces of wood off him.

"Howell? James? Can you hear me?" she asked as she pushed the largest piece of debris. She gasped as it fell away.

"Shit," she said breathlessly and sagged back onto her heels for a moment.

"What wrong?" Becker asked. Katie fought against the bile rising in her throat as she stared at the piece of metal that was sticking out of Howell.

"He's been impaled on a piece of re-bar," she managed to say into her ear piece. She heard some muffled curses over the radio, but put them out of her mind as she took off the medical kit that was slung across her back and started working on the soldier in front of her.

"Do you need another set of hands down there?" Becker asked after he finally finished cursing, some of which hadn't even been in English. Katie looked around the small space Howell was trapped in.

"There's not enough room for anyone else," she said, "I'll have to do it on my own."

"Alright," he said, "We have to find the Anomaly and see if there's a creature, but I'm leaving a few men here if you need anything."

"Copy that," she said, as she began pulling out the supplies she would need to take care of Howell. She took out her ear piece for a minute not wanting anyone to overhear what she was about to say. She brushed some of his dirty blond hair off his face as she spoke.

"It'll be okay," she said softly, "I'm here to take care of you." She let her hand rest against his cheek for a minute before turning her attention to the piece of metal she has to immobilize. She pulled a pair of scissors from her bag and started cutting away his shirt. As the shirt fell away in strips she had a hard time keeping her gaze away from the firm muscles of his chest and abs. It had surprised her the first time she'd seen him just how much bigger he was than most of the other soldiers. They were all fit, they'd have to be with this job, but most of them were lean and wiry. Howell however was built like a tank with his wide shoulders and dense muscles. He obviously spent more time in the gym than the rest, and she often wondered why. She felt along his torso for any wounds that she couldn't see, and let out a breath when she didn't find any. The faint scars on his upper body also caught her attention, but she forced her attention back to the bloody wound in front of her.

The gauze in her hands shook as she packed it around the bar carefully, she bit her lip as tears threatened to spill. Half the time he annoyed the hell out of her, the other half he just pissed her off and she still went out of her way to see him every day. Not that she would ever admit it to him of her own free will, but she hated seeing him like this. He wasn't supposed to get hurt. He was supposed to grin whenever he managed to make her blush and be the one she went to when there was trouble, because no matter how much he aggravated her, she trusted him.

"It'll be okay," she said softly, "I'm here to take care of you." Howell knew it was Katie's voice and his rattled brain wondered how the hell she'd gotten there. He felt her hand brush the hair from his face and stop to rest on his cheek. He tried to turn into her hand, but his body didn't move an inch and Howell wanted to scream in frustration. He hated being helpless, he always had. Her hands moved away from his face and he waited for her to touch him again only to feel cold metal against his skin.

He felt her hands run along his chest and stopped where he could feel the cold iron running through his body. He actually groaned aloud in pain when she touched him there.

"Katie," he whispered without opening his eyes.

Katie worked mechanically at prepping Howell for transport. Doing her best to pretend he was someone else to make it easier.

"He's still unconscious, but his breathing is normal and he's responding to painful stimuli," she walked the medics that were waiting through Howell status, "The re-bar kept him from bleeding out, but he needs to get out of her really soon." She'd managed to pack enough gauze around the bar to keep it from moving, being extra vigilant because she didn't want to even think about what could happen if it moved even the slightest bit.

"Katie," the soft whisper nearly made her jump out of her skin. Her eyes darted to his face, hoping she hadn't imagined the soft sound.

"James? Can you hear me," she asked nervously.

"Can we go home now?" Howell still didn't open his eyes when he spoke, but his attempt at humor despite his injuries made her want to laugh, and cry.

"Soon," she said running her hands through his hair, though she wasn't which of them it was meant to comfort. "We'll get out of here really soon I promise." Katie put her hand to her earpiece and hailed Becker on the radio.

"He's coming round," she said, "What's the ETA on the rescue crew?"

"We've… um… got a situation," Becker said. Katie's hand stilled in Howell's hair and her heart sped up. Becker hesitating was never a good thing.

"What kind of situation?" she asked fighting to keep her voice calm.

"There's a creature incursion and we can't let a civilian rescue crew in until we take care of it." Katie was happy to hear anger and frustration in Becker's tone, but it didn't stop her from snapping at him.

"Who the fuck made that rule?"

"Burton," the name sounded like a curse coming from Becker. Not that it was a big surprise, Burton was not well liked by the ARC's military presence. He'd made it very clear that he saw soldiers as disposable.

"Don't we have a rescue crew on staff?" she asked desperately even though she already knew the answer.

"Anything else we should know about the incursion?" she asked, hoping it was something harmless and easily taken care of. Becker's silence worried her.

"Sir," she prompted again when he was quiet for too long.

"It's raptors. We don't know how many." Katie closed her eyes and took a deep breath to fight off the panic growing in her chest.

She felt Howell squeeze her hand and she looked down in surprise to see him looking right at her. Then she saw the light on his earpiece glowing brightly. _Shit,_ she thought, _He heard everything._ Howell tried to reach his ear, but winced in pain and his arm dropped back to the floor. Katie stopped him before he could try again and pushed the talk button on his radio.

"Sir," he said weakly making Katie wince at the pain in his voice.

"Howell?" Becker sounded incredibly shocked that Howell was back on the radio.

"Do what you have to do sir. It's not like I'm going anywhere." He smiled at Katie who just frowned at him. They both heard Becker chuckle halfheartedly.

"You better not," he said, "Jess will kill me if you aren't at the wedding."

"Well, we can't disappoint the future Mrs. Becker." He said his voice getting a little weaker. Katie put a hand over his mouth before he could say anything else and shook her head at him. She took the radio from his ear and walked a few feet away, keeping her back to him as she spoke.

"I honestly don't know how long he'll last if he stays here," she told Becker bluntly. She heard him sigh into his radio.

"We'll get the rescue crew in here ASAP, but we have to deal with the raptors first," he said, "The last thing we need is a dead rescue crew because we didn't do our jobs."

"I know," she said, "I just…" an odd clicking noise in front of her made her stop.

"Katie?" Becker said.

"Something's down here." She whispered.


	4. Chapter 3

**Okay so I just noticed that I changed something without telling you guys. I decided to change the timeline so that the wedding hasn't happened yet. So congratulations! You've all been invited to Jess and Becker's wedding! Enjoy!**

Katie backed away from the sound carefully, not wanting to attract the attention of whatever it was. She heard Howell move behind her and she held up her hand to stop him.

"Are you armed?" Becker's voice was loud in her ear and she winced. Katie glanced to around to see if there was anything she could use for a weapon, or if Howell's EMD had landed nearby, and silently cursed herself for not carrying her own. Giving up on finding the gun, she slowly knelt to the ground and pulled out the combat knife her father had given her five years ago for her sixteenth birthday. It felt right in her hand and she thanked God, not for the first time, that her father was overprotective and paranoid.

"I have my knife," she told Becker quietly. She heard Becker snort.

"What the hell do you need us for then?" He asked trying to joke, but Katie could hear the tension in his voice. She knew the Captain was a man who would do anything to protect his people, and he hated it when he couldn't.

"Just stand there and look pretty," she whispered back hoping it would make him a little more at ease. She heard him laugh a little at the inside joke that had started soon after she'd begun working at the ARC.

_Katie was on her way to the medical wing to check in with the doctors before meeting up with the rest of Becker's team when noises from the gym caught her attention. The soldiers were all standing to the side of wrestling mats that had been pulled to the middle of the floor. They were shouting encouragements and jeers at two men circling each other warily. Both men were strangers to her, but the larger of the two she recognized as the one who'd smacked the soldier had made a lewd comment about her. She'd been watching the men's reactions to the comment without them realizing it and had been forced to stifle a giggle at the look on the man's face when he'd been smacked, not to mention the look of satisfaction on the one who'd done the smacking. They each had a rubber practice knife in one hand and a few red marks where their opponent had made a hit._

_She took a few steps into the gym, unable to stop herself, completely mesmerized by the flowing movements of the fighters. The smaller man suddenly thrust his knife at the larger soldier's gut, only to end up flat on his back and disarmed._

"_And Howell wins again," Becker called from the sidelines. The larger man, who was apparently Howell, offered the defeated man a hand which was quickly accepted with good grace. Katie watched Becker walk over to where his second in command was posting something on the wall, before returning her attention to the mat where Howell was setting up for the next match._

"_I can show you how to handle a knife," a voice said suggestively on her left. She rolled her eyes as she looked at the soldier who'd inched closer without her realizing it._

"_I'm okay thanks," she said. She tugged at the black uniform she was wearing to remind herself that she had to be in charge at the moment. She'd made the uniform into her safety blanket. A weight settled on her shoulder and she quickly shoved the soldier's arm off her as if it burned._

"_Don't be shy baby," he said taking another step towards her. Katie found herself standing on the mat as she quickly backed away from him. The faces of the soldiers that surrounded the mat showed a myriad of different emotions, but most were a mix of anger and disgust which was directed at the soldier who was trying his best to pull her back towards him._

"_Back off Franklin," a voice said. Katie spun around to find Howell standing near the mat looking a little more than pissed. Normally she would have been thrilled to have someone else take care of this particular problem, but her pride was still smarting a bit from this morning. Becker had found her before she'd had a chance to change into her uniform and talk herself out of her normally shy personality. So instead of meeting Corporal Kathryn Bennett Army Medic, they'd met Katie Bennett wilting flower. And that pissed her off._

"_Thank you sir," she said nodding in their direction. She figured sir would work since they both out ranked her. "but I can handle it."_

"_You can handle me all you want baby," the young soldier said making Katie roll her eyes._

"_The only person who would willingly handle you would be yourself," she said earning a murderous glare from the lewd soldier and gut wrenching laughter from the others. They obviously hadn't expected the shy girl they'd met that morning to have that kind of spunk. Satisfied with her victory Katie quickly spun on her heel and made her way to the door._

"_I should have known a frigid little bitch like you is only good for standing there and looking pretty." Katie froze and turned around slowly._

"_Mat now," she ground out between clenched teeth. The soldiers around her must have recognized the deadly intent in her voice because they quickly moved out of her way, all except Howell at least. He blocked her path with his arms crossed in front of his chest._

"_You can't fight him," he said in a way that said he didn't expect an argument. Unfortunately for him Katie felt like giving him one._

"_Is that an order?" she asked knowing full well that he couldn't give a good excuse for it to be. He was about to answer when he was stopped by Becker's voice._

"_Let her fight Howell," he said to the obvious surprise of all the soldiers who just gaped at him. She sent Howell a saccharine smile and plucked the sparring knife from his fingers. _

_Once Becker called for them to start Katie attacked as soon as her opponent opened his mouth to taunt her. She had him disarmed and pinned to the ground in less than three moves, once again leaving the soldiers gaping in shock. The soldier on the ground whimpered in pain as Katie put more pressure on his twisted shoulder, pressing it farther out of place._

"_Touch me again, and I'll kill you," she said quietly, but the rest of the soldiers heard her to. They took a small step back as she let go of the soldier's arm and walked out of the gym. She was so focused on getting to the safety of a bathroom before the shaking started that she didn't realize someone was behind her until a hand landed on her shoulder. Her startled yelp echoed in the hallway and she turned to see a repentant Howell standing behind her._

"_I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn't mean to scare you," He said before she could say anything._

"_I can take care of myself," she snapped, her emotions still raw after the fight. She instantly regretted it when his face went cold._

_ "Fine," he said shortly as he turned away, "Later Kate." Katie's fists clenched at the name._

_ "Never call me Kate," she bit out. Howell stopped and turned with a twinkle in his eye that made Katie groan. She was quickly regretting that she'd shown just how much that name bothered her._

_ "But it suits you so well," he said before turning and jogging back to the gym. Katie sighed and slid down the wall behind her as her hands began shaking._

"Katie?" Becker's near shout brought her back to reality faster than a bucket of ice water. "You still with me?"

"I'm fine just…" A ear splitting yowl interrupted Katie and she jumped back just as a small black shape hurtled past her. She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"We're good Becker," she said nearly laughing, "It was just a stray cat." She turned back to Howell and saw his eyes go wide a second before something big hit her back knocking her to the floor. She heard Becker and Howell yell.

"Katie!"


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long. I hit a little writer's block when I realized all the action was taking place at the beginning. But I think I've figured out where I want the story to go and I hope people like it. I am not above begging for suggestions and reviews. So let me know what you think.**

Katie threw her arm back as hard as she could, plunging the combat knife deep into whatever was on her back. It screeched and suddenly the weight disappeared from her back. Pushing herself to her feet Katie placed herself between Howell and whatever was intent on killing them. She found herself facing down a fully grown raptor and instantly knew she was really lucky she wasn't already dead. The raptor was bleeding heavily from the wound on its side, but it didn't even seem to be fazed. It stared at her, every once in a while glancing at Howell as if it was trying to decide which one would taste better. Katie's hand itched to bury her knife to the hilt into the dinosaur's chest every time it looked at Howell, but she knew attacking it would just get them both killed. So she waited for it to make the first move.

Katie only had a second to act when the creature suddenly lunged for her. She ignored Howell's shout and ducked out of the way just as the raptor's claws slashed at where her stomach would have been. Howell's second cry distracted her for a moment and the raptor charged her again. She jumped out of the way, rolling when she hit the ground, and landed in a crouch facing the creature. It was focused on Howell who was lying motionless on the ground, a look in its eyes that made the fear and anger rise in her. She let out a savage cry to draw its attention away from the wounded man and rushed it. She ducked as it swung its huge tail at her and came at if from behind before it could recover. In less than a breath Katie had her blade at the animal's throat and dragged it across, spilling its blood all over the floor. Katie's hands began to shake as she cleaned the knife, her free hand went to her ear to check in with her C.O. as she slid the knife back into the sheath at her ankle.

"One raptor down," she said looking at the motionless reptilian body lying a few feet away. She stepped back to avoid the growing pool of blood that was inching its way towards her.

"Remind me never to piss you off when you're holding a knife," Becker said jokingly and Katie could hear the relief in his voice. "How's Howell doing?"

"How you feeling James?" she asked over her shoulder as she made sure the knife was easy to grab, but not going to slip out without her realizing it.

"Not good," she heard the pain in Howell's voice and turned quickly only to gasp when she saw the fresh blood coating the bandages around the re-bar. She was next to him in a second, pressing her hands to the bleeding wound and ignoring his hiss of pain.

"What did you do?" she asked with tears in her eyes, terrified that he was going to bleed to death in front of her.

Howell wanted to pass out from the pain that was engulfing his stomach, but he wanted to see Katie more.

"My ego can't let you be the hero all the time," he said trying to make light of the situation, but he couldn't keep the pain out of his voice. Or ignore the fact that he was slowly getting colder.

"Becker! We need a rescue crew here now or it's going to turn into a recovery mission," she said. Howell knew he was in deep shit if she wasn't hiding anything from him. Howell couldn't hear the Captain's response, since Katie still had his radio in her pocket, but from her body's response it wasn't good news. Her shoulders slumped forwards almost like she was trying to make herself as small as possible and she started shaking slightly.

"Just send down some more supplies," she said her voice sounding tired and resigned, "I'll do what I can." Howell watched as her hand dropped and she came back to sit by him. She looked so devastated that he wanted to wrap her in his arms and promise her that everything would be okay. Which he couldn't do because he was stuck flat on his back with a piece of metal running through him. He sighed to himself, life could be so unfair sometimes.

"It'll be okay," he said weakly, rubbing his finger against her leg. It wasn't ideal, but it was the best he could do. "And if it doesn't work out, than at least you won't have to deal with me anymore." He was a little surprised when her surprisingly cold fingers wrapped around his hand.

"I don't want to lose you." She said quietly. Howell felt his mouth go dry at her words. Either that or it was a side effect of shock and blood loss, he wasn't really sure which.

They'd been dancing around each other for months, neither one ever sure what the other was really feeling. They'd be friendly one minute and tearing at throats seconds later. Howell suddenly got worried when it finally hit him that this could be the last time they actually got to talk.

"Katie I…" he was interrupted when Katie suddenly jumped to her feet excitedly.

"Becker," she said speaking into her radio, "Do we still have that spinal board in the back of the medical van?" She went silent for a few minutes while, Howell assumed, Becker was checking for her. A second later a huge smile spread across her face.

"Perfect," she said, "Get it down to me along with plenty of rope." Her eyes held a giddy excitement that Howell had only seen a few times, but unfortunately the look had never been directed at him.

"What's going on Katie?" he asked carefully. She smiled over at him from where she stood waiting for the items to be dropped down to her.

"We're getting you out of here." She said.

Katie actually felt a little giddy as she finished strapping Howell into the spinal board. She'd managed to rig it so that the soldiers could pull him up without too much trouble. The hardest part would be keeping the board from hitting anything on the way up. That's where she came in. Two soldiers would pull her up at the same time so she could monitor him and keep the basket steady. That was the plan anyway. She bit her lip as the multitude of things that could go wrong flashed through her head, but she pushed them away and focused on getting the last strap tied down. Trying to keep Howell as still as possible as she'd rolled him onto the backboard had been a challenge, but he was still alive.

"We ready?" Becker asked. Howell answered first and Katie guessed he was happy that she'd put the radio back in his ear.

"Yes sir," he said in his military tone. The familiar tone made her smile despite just how quietly it was said. Howell had lost even more color in the ten minutes it had taken her to set everything up. His skin tone brought to mind wet parchment rather than the slight tan he normally had. She bit her lip again as she tested the rope one more time, remembering how she would tease him about managing to get a tan in London.

"We're good sir," she said as she clipped the rope onto her harness.

"Copy that. Just say the word and we'll start hauling," Katie always felt better knowing Becker had their back and his voice flowed over her with a familiar comfort. He'd become a little like a big brother, not that she'd ever tell him that, with his protective personality and Katie had to admit she liked it.

"10-4," she said walking over to double check all the knots that attached the back board to the pulley system. She glanced down at Howell, then up at the barely visible platform where the soldiers were waiting for her signal, and back at Howell. _What the hell,_ she thought to herself. Before she could change her mind Katie swooped down and kissed Howell with everything she had. She felt him freeze in surprise before weakly returning the kiss. When she broke the kiss he was looking at her in confusion, and a hunger that made her shiver.

"Just in case," she said. She hit the talk button on her earpiece. "Bring us up."


	6. Chapter 5

**I'm going to apologize in advance because it will most likely be a while before I update again. I'm moving to my first apartment, while working full time, and the next few days will be filled with packing and un-packing. Enjoy!**

_Howell walked down the halls of the ARC towards the locker room, he was in a hurry to get out of his bloody clothes. He sighed as the soldier they'd lost flashed through his mind. His chest hadn't just been ripped open, it had looked like it was gone. Howell fought back the bile rising in his throat and sagged against a nearby wall. Becker had stilled and signaled for quiet when he'd heard the familiar clicking sounds almost as soon as the team had neared the anomaly sight. If it hadn't been for Becker, Howell highly doubted any of them would have made it out alive. Future predators were nothing to fuck with and all the soldiers were terrified of them, even Becker. That thing had attacked without warning. Howell hadn't realized what was happening until warm blood suddenly sprayed over him and he turned to see the young soldier fall to the ground, his chest ripped so wide that Howell actually saw the last few beats of his heart. Katie had been next to him in an instant, which only served to make Howell even more nervous. All he could do was stand there while she did her best to get the ravaged heart beating again, at the same time making sure they didn't get mauled by a psychotic creature._

_ Katie had kept working until they reached the ARC and the doctors took one look at the soldier on the table and declared time of death. Howell remembered the look on Katie's face as she she'd quickly turned and walked out, leaving a bloody streak on the door as she pushed it open. Howell shook off the morbid memory and resumed his trek to the locker room. Soft sobbing caught his attention as he passed by one of the women's restrooms, making him pause and wonder if he should go in or not. When the crying didn't stop after a minute of waiting Howell gave a frustrated sigh and walked through the door, preparing to get yelled at or even slapped. Instead he found himself looking into Katie's tear stained face, and froze. She was sitting on the floor with her back pressed against a blue tiled wall. Her knees were pulled tightly into her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around them. Howell's heart broke a little as he took in her puffy eyes and her surprisingly clean face. It shouldn't surprise him that she didn't wear makeup at work, but part of him thought that it wasn't fair for her to look that good without any help. She even looked good when she was crying, though that could be because a part of him wanted to protect her. She glanced up at him when he walked in, but quickly dropped her gaze back to her knees. Howell sighed and walked over to drop to the floor next to her. Silence reigned for about five minutes before Katie finally said something._

_ "I'm supposed to save you," she said quietly surprising Howell. Howell tried to think of something to say, but everything he thought of sounded cliché and insensitive. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, deciding silence was best, and let her cry into his military issue jacket. Her bloody hands clutched at his shirt and he realized just what a frightening image they'd be if someone walked in. His eyes darted to the door, belatedly wishing he'd thought to lock the door._

_ "Keeping you and Becker sane is going to be a challenge," he said quietly making her look up at him in confusion._

_ "You both think you can protect or fix everyone," he explained, "The guilt trips will drive you crazy if you let them." Katie looked at him for a moment before burying her face back into his shirt. He sighed and pulled his arm in a little tighter. __**At least she stopped crying**_**, **_he thought._

The first thing Howell could feel was cold. He was cold, really cold. But he could feel the blanket on top of him which should have kept him warm. He opened his eyes with difficulty and instantly wanted to close them again. He didn't know if it was him or the world around him that was moving. Blurs of color passed him and a crush of noises assaulted his ears. There was something over his face, cutting off his air, and he reached for it desperately. Something grabbed his hand, forcing it away from his face.

"You have to keep the mask on James," a voice said.

"Katie," he tried to say, but his tongue felt like lead in his mouth. He gripped her hand tightly, trying to hold on to the only thing that made sense to him in the midst of these strange sensations.

"Everything will be okay," she whispered, "I promise." Her hands slipped from his and he grasped for it frantically, fighting against the things holding him down. He tried to scream, but nothing worked. Tears filled his eyes as he fought to breathe until a cool burning sensation filled his body. Then everything slowly sank back into darkness.

Katie watched as the sedatives took over Howell's body and he relaxed into unconsciousness. She'd been forced to let go of his hand when the ARC doctors had taken over even though all she'd wanted to do was hold on forever. She still remembered the panicked feeling that had come over her when he'd slipped into silence and stillness as they'd been pulled out of the hell they'd spent the morning in. The race across London had been tense for Katie and the soldiers in the SUV with them. The only reason they hadn't been pulled over as they weaved through traffic as neck breaking speed was the government license plate. Katie and the other soldiers had loaded the backboard onto a waiting gurney at lightning speed and raced towards the O.R. as fast as they possibly could. She'd known the minute Howell started to come round, and grabbed for the hand that she knew would reach for the mask like all her other patients. She personally hated those masks with a passion. They made you feel like you were suffocating even though they pumped pure oxygen into your lungs. Katie closed her eyes against the image of terror in his eyes. She'd told him everything would be okay, but the truth was she had no idea if he was going to make it. She didn't open her eyes when she heard someone running towards her. She realized there were two sets of footfalls. One set had the distinct sound of high heels and Katie could only assume that it was Jess, since she'd the only person she knew in the ARC who wore heels on a daily basis, which left only one option as to who the person with her was.

"How is he?" Becker asked his voice full of concern. Katie could feel her chest burning from the force of trying to keep the tears back.

"Not good," she said her voice breaking as she sank to the ground from fear and exhaustion. Becker's arm went around her and Jess put a hand on her knee.

"What happened?" Jess asked. Katie felt the tears start running down her cheek, but didn't bother wiping them away.

"He went into shock on the way here," she didn't elaborate any more than that and luckily the other two seemed to understand the danger. All that they could do know was wait to see if Howell was going to come out alive.


	7. Chapter 6

**Yay! I'm back in business. I'm so sorry for anyone who has been waiting for an update but I've finally moved in and gotten internet. So here's the latest chapter and the next one should be up within a few days. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.**

Howell stood by the alter doing his best to keep from laughing as he watched his C.O. fiddle with his dress uniform nervously. Not that he could really blame the man. It wasn't every day you got to marry the love of your life, especially on who you think you don't deserve. It had been over a month since the rebar incident and thinking about it still made him wince. He had to consciously keep himself from rubbing the still tender spot, especially when he was standing at the end of the aisle waiting for the bridal party to start their march. He surprisingly hadn't spoken to Katie much over the past month, since he'd been on medical leave, but she had come to see him once a few days after he'd been released from the hospital.

_The ringing of the doorbell had him groaning at the prospect of getting up from his comfortable position on the couch, but he figured it would be important. He actually did groan in pain when he stood to yell at whoever was at the door. The dressing down died in his throat when he opened the door to admit a fire haired pixie into his home. Katie glanced up at him quickly, before biting her lip and looking at the ground. He hadn't realized just how sexy she looked when she did that and he stepped aside to let her in before he thought better of it. Katie seemed to hesitate for a moment before accepting his silent invitation. Howell took advantage of her silence to look her over. She was wearing a sundress like the one she'd warn of her first day off work, but this time she had a light sweater over it to ward off the chill. She looked amazing, and all Howell could think about was her kissing him. The silence stretched on until he couldn't take it anymore._

"_Are you alright?" he asked. Katie looked at him in what looked like surprise before she giggled._

"_What?"_

"_Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she said through her laughter. Howell took a step forward pinning her against the couch he hadn't even realized was there. Katie stopped laughing and sucked in a shaky breath._

"_You got hurt to," he said gently touching the ace bandage wrapped tightly against her wrist and placing a hand softly on her ribs._

"_Bruised ribs and a sprained wrist are nothing," she said sounding a little breathless._

"_You being hurt is not nothing," he said quietly, his gaze drifting over her._

"_It is compared to what happened to you," she said sharply. Howell could tell she wasn't happy that he'd left the hospital a few days earlier than the doctors had recommended, but he'd been going crazy there. He started to speak, but she wasn't done talking yet._

"_You were incredibly lucky it didn't hit anything vital when you fell. Then you had to go and move which nicked an artery and nearly killed you." At this point she was poking him in the chest as she spoke, which he would have found funny if it didn't actually hurt._

"_Why'd you kiss me?" he asked trying to catch her off guard, and get her away from the topic that still made his shiver when he thought about how close he'd come to dying._

"_What?" Her voice was shaking enough that Howell guessed he'd hit his mark._

"_You kissed me. Why?"_

"_Just in case." She said, her voice not sounding any more firm than a moment ago. Howell had been doing his best to keep from kissing her since she'd walked in, but when her gaze dropped to his lips he gave up. She kissed him back almost instantly, her hands drifting up his chest and neck to bury themselves in his hair. He ignored the jolt of pain to his side and grabbed the back of her thighs to lift her onto the back of the couch. Her legs started to wrap around his waist before he'd taken the step forward, so he was pulled to her. He groaned, in pleasure rather than pain as their bodies crushed together from shoulders to hips, and he rocked forward so that he was pressed against her intimately. She gasped against his lips at the contact and her head fell back when he moved to trail kisses down her neck. His hands trailed down her sides, just brushing her breasts, and grasped at the hem of her dress to begin inching it upwards. Suddenly she was pushing his away and hoping off the couch, her eyes wide as she picked up the purse he hadn't even noticed she'd dropped._

"_Katie…' he started as he realized she was getting ready to run._

"_I've gotta go," she said without looking at him. Within seconds she was out the door and there was nothing Howell could do to stop her. He turned away from the door and headed into the kitchen, not wanting to face the couch yet and slammed a fist against the counter._

"_Damn it," he growled. He dropped his head to the counter, wondering how he'd managed to screw up so badly._

"How do I look?" Captain Becker asked, breaking Howell out of his daydream. The question was so out of left field that Howell couldn't keep the laughter in anymore.

"Scared shitless," he said when he stopped to breathe, and it was true. Becker skin had lost all color and he was actually swaying a bit as he stood waiting for the ceremony to start.

"You sound like a girl mate," Connor Temple, the best man, said doing his best not to laugh as well. Howell was surprised Connor would actually say that, though it didn't make it any less amusing. It was pretty well known that the young computer geek was terrified of the SAS Captain when he was in a bad mood, but loved to tease him anyway. Becker started to glare at him, but quickly stopped when the bridal march started. The three men standing at the end of the aisle looked to the door where the wedding party waited to start their procession. Howell knew the other two men were waiting for their significant others with bated breath, but that didn't explain the sudden pounding in his own chest. He heard Connor's soft gasp at the sight of his girlfriend, Abby Maitland, in her bridesmaid's dress, but he was too busy staring at the girl behind her to actually acknowledge it. Katie was floating, not walking, down the aisle towards him in a flowing dress was a teal color that made him think of the Tahitian ocean. The dress hit just above her knees in the front and at mid-calf in the back. Her deep red hair was cascading down her back in a waterfall of curls and Howell couldn't believe how long it was. She made her way up to the end of the aisle and took her place across from the men, his eyes following her the entire time. Howell didn't realize just how long he was staring at her, but it must have been a little too long because the next thing he knew Jess was already standing across from Becker. She looked amazing in a figure hugging lace gown, which surprised Howell, he'd always figured her for the big fluffy dress type, but his eyes were glued to Katie. He stood there, just watching her as the officiator spoke. It wasn't until the newly married couple kissed amid cheers and whistles that he even realized the ceremony was over.

"Damn," he muttered to himself, hoping no one asked him later how the ceremony had gone. He glanced back at the woman who had so distracted him and for a moment he thought he saw the same worry reflected in her eyes.

_This could have gone better,_ Katie thought to herself as Becker and Jess turned to the seated guests while the officiator introduced them as Mr. and Mrs. Becker for the first time. She'd been so distracted by how gorgeous Howell looked and how she was going to manage to avoid him during the reception. It didn't help that they were paired together for the walk back down the aisle. Her palms were already a little clammy from the nervous energy flowing through her. Jess and Becker smiled at each other and started walking out, making the pit of Katie's stomach drop. Connor and Abby were next, thought this time Katie had to stifle a giggle at the look of awe on Connor's face, before turning to meet Howell for their walk. His arm was solid muscle as she rested her hand on it. _For tradition's sake, _she told herself, when in all reality she wanted to cling to him and not let go for at least a few hours. Having him this close to her was doing strange things to her libido. At least, judging from the look on his face, he wasn't doing any better. The muscles of his jaw were so tense Katie could see them popping up under the smooth skin of his cheek, and his eyes kept flicking in her direction. She wasn't going to deny that there was some intense attraction between the two of them, but there was no way in hell that it was going to blossom into anything. Not even the orgasmic, mind abolishing sex she knew it would be. Images of them rolling around in sweat drenched sheets flashed through her head causing a shiver of desire to race up her spine.

"You cold?" Katie did her best to hold back another shiver as his breath fanned across her neck. She nodded her head as discreetly as she could, well aware that they were still in sight of the guests.

"A little," she lied smoothly. She just hoped he bought it.

"Want my jacket?" he asked in a tone that said he didn't believe her at all. She could feel the heat of her blush trailing up her neck and quickly shook her head, dropping his arm as if it was made of fire.

"It'll be warm enough at the reception." She started to walk away, but was stopped when Howell latched onto her arm.

"Are we ever going to talk about what happened?" he asked obviously expecting her to know what he was talking about. And know she did, but she still decided to play dumb.

"Talk about what?" she asked doing her best to not give away her lie.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about." He growled, his grip tightening a fraction.

"It must not have been memorable," the moment she said it Katie knew she'd pushed her luck as far as it would go. Howell's eye blazed with hunger and his gaze went to her slightly parted lips.

"Do you need a reminder," he said. His voice dropped low with desire and Katie's pulse started to race. She felt the wall hit her back before she even realized she was moving and her hands went to the muscled planes of his chest automatically, though she wasn't sure if it was to stop him or encourage him. His hands were on either side of her head, trapping her in a cage of flesh and muscle. Katie's courage disappeared quickly as the situation swiftly spun in his favor.

"I remember," she breathed as she ducked under his arms before he could catch her and stepped out of reach. "But nothing like that can ever happen again." She spun around and her heels sounded a quick tattoo on the marble floor as she put as much distance between her and temptation as she could.


	8. Chapter 7

**On to more of the Jecker wedding. I hope everyone enjoys it, and I'm hoping to have the next chapter up soon. Though I do seem to write faster when I get reviews, not sure why but it's true. Either was the next chapter should be up within a few days.**

The reception hall was the perfect size for the small wedding, allowing everyone to fit and not feel like they were getting to know their neighbors too well, but not big enough to give you leg cramps from walking from one side to the other. On one side of the hall a very unhappy Howell watched as Katie danced across the dance floor with Connor, and fought back a way of possessive jealousy at the sight. He knew Connor was no threat, since he was completely devoted to Abby, but he still didn't like Katie dancing with other guys. It didn't matter that they weren't together, he still felt like she was his. The song ended and the DJ's voice came over the speakers.

"Can we get all the single ladies on the dance floor for the bouquet toss," he said as more of a statement then a question and soon the floor was filled with women, including the bridesmaids. Katie stood with Abby, looking very uncomfortable, and he had to wonder if either of them were actually going to try to catch the damn flowers. Jess climbed carefully onto the platform, with Becker's help, and Howell honestly didn't think anyone who didn't wear heels as much as Jess could have gotten up there.

"Everyone ready?" She asked with a delighted smile spilling across her face. Cheers from the crowd answered her and she turned so that she had to throw the bouquet over her shoulder. All the guests, with the exception of Howell, counted to three and watched as Jess tossed the flowers over her shoulder with surprising strength. It was even funnier when Abby caught it with a look of horror on her face, which perfectly matched the ecstatic look on Connor's. Howell was still chuckling when the DJ sent the women back to their seats and Becker led Jess to a chair in the middle of the floor. He kept his eyes glued to Katie as she walked away but she managed to disappear in the second that someone at his side distracted him. He scanned the room for her, and even tried to leave the edge of the dance floor but Connor stopped him.

"Where are you going?" he asked Howell, who wasn't too happy with the turn of events. "The wedding party has to stay here." He knew Connor was right and he could fix his own romantic problems later, but he sure as hell wanted to fix them now. With a sigh he turned his attention back to the newlyweds as Becker knelt in front of Jess and leaned forward to whisper something in her ear, something that made her go bright red, much to her new husband amusement. Becker reached up her skirt slowly to pull down the garter she was wearing around one thigh. No one was particularly surprised when it turned out to be electric blue. A few people shouted jokes about the particular shade of blue not matching the tradition, but they were quickly corrected by Jess.

"Something old and something new. Something borrowed and something blue. It never specified the shade." Jess actually managed to copy her husband's famous smirk as she said this which made him laugh out loud at some of the flabbergasted guests around them. He pulled Jess to her feet and swept her up into a romantic kiss that made the female guests sigh, and the men cat call.

"The boys are up," said the DJ and Howell felt himself being pushed towards the dance floor for the garter toss, something he was definitely not interested in. He knew whoever caught the garter was supposed to slide it up the leg of the woman who'd caught the bouquet, and he really did not want to get to know Abby that well. Becker, not always a stickler for tradition apparently, shot the garter like a sling shot and it landed squarely in Howell's hands. He stared at it in shock for a millisecond before tossing it at Connor, who was standing next to him.

"Oh hell no!" he said quietly. Thankfully no one noticed that Connor hadn't actually caught it and they were all busy slapping Connor on the back and making lewd jokes about his and Abby's future wedding night. Howell's eyes scanned the crowd for the telltale flash of red that would tell him where Katie was. He felt her eyes on him before he saw her and his breath caught when he saw the tears in her eyes. Seconds after their eyes met she was nearly sprinting out the door, with him quickly taking up the chase.

"Katie," he called when he thought he was close enough, but she didn't slow down or even glance over her shoulder.

"Katie,' he called louder that time and she spun on him so quickly that he nearly fell trying to stop. He was shocked when she hit him in the chest.

"Why the hell are you calling me that?" she bit out harshly through gritted teeth, thoroughly confusing Howell. "I thought you liked Katie," he said rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to figure out what was going on. He flinched as she hit him again, tears now running down her face.

"I do, but you call me Kate," she hit him with each word as if trying to drive her point home, "and I hate it, but it makes it easier to keep from falling for you. And I can't fall for you, so just go back to annoying the hell out of me." Howell finally caught her fist to keep her from hitting him again and pulled her in close.

"Why can't you fall for me?" he asked, his lips less than an inch from hers.

"I can't fall for anyone at work," she said quietly and Howell could feel her breath fanning across his lips, forcing him to hold back a groan of pleasure.

"Why?" He growled using every ounce of his strength not to kiss her.

"People will think I slept my way to my job," she said quietly dropping her gaze away from his. His heart broke at the sound of her voice filled with so much fear and empty of the fire he knew she had. He knew for a fact that she had no problem giving people a piece of her mind, at least while she was in uniform.

_Howell and Becker stood in the hospital wing of the ARC watching as the two doctors argued about how to treat the soldier lying on the bed. Howell didn't think the kid looked too good, but the doctors had assured them he was stable. It had been fifteen minutes since the medics had brought the soldier in and he'd been slowly losing color ever since, but He and Becker were at a loss as to what to do when it came to medical matters. They were paid to give injuries, not heal them._

_"Davis doesn't look too good," he whispered to his C.O. while keeping his eye on the still form lying on the bed, and could see Becker nodding in agreement out of the corner of his eye._

_ "We need to do something," Becker mumbled still watching the arguing doctors. Howell agreed, but he had no idea where to start. The doors behind the two soldiers crashed open suddenly, making them jump slightly, and Katie walked in with a look of confusion in her eyes. Her gaze flicked between the two doctors and the boy in the bed._

_ "How long has he been here?" she asked the two of them as she checked the different monitors._

_ "At least fifteen minutes," Howell said, his eyes never leaving her while she worked. She felt the unconscious boy's skin and turned to glare at the two doctors._

_ "Seriously!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. The room was quickly silent except for the quick beeping of the heart monitors. Howell almost took a step back when he saw the look on Katie's face and saw the same thoughts reflected in Becker. The doctors just looked confused at the tiny medic who was staring them down with murder in her eyes._

_ "What the hell are you doing?" she asked them in a low growl. The doctors looked at her in shock, obviously not expecting this from the fire haired pixie. "You two are so wrapped up in your ego trip that you don't even realize that you patient is in shock." Katie was seething as she spoke and Howell actually took a step away from her just in case she started throwing things. _

_ "You two have your heads shoved so far up your asses that you can't even do your fucking job." The two doctors had the good graces to at least look ashamed. Katie pointed at the still figure on the bed. "If he dies because you two were too narcissistic to admit your short comings, I will bury you." Howell didn't know if she meant to bury them under paperwork or six feet in the ground, but he wouldn't want to take the chance. Neither did the doctors apparently, because they instantly went to work under Katie's watchful eye. Howell took a step forward to stand next to Becker again as he watched the events unfold. Katie looked so much like an avenging angel that his heart seemed to skip a beat._

_ "Okay, now I'm hard," he said quietly, and instantly wished he hadn't._

_ "Uh… yeah," was all Becker said._

Howell pulled Katie into his arms and she promptly burst into tears, soaking the front of his dress shirt. He pressed his lips to the top of her head and sighed. He knew he should walk away and not pursue her anymore, but she had become to ingrained in his life to allow him that choice.

"I can't give you up," he whispered into her hair, not sure if she heard him or not, and not sure if he wanted her to.


	9. Chapter 8

**Yay for fast updates! I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter up, it may be a while because I'm still in the middle of moving. But I'll do my best. Enjoy! Hope it's good, sorry if it's not.**

Howell fought to keep from dozing off in his chair as the safety meeting wore on. Damn, he thought, I really don't envy Becker right now. He'd been sitting in the same chair for over an hour silently cursing his C.O. for leaving on his honeymoon for two weeks. Sitting here was usually Becker's job, but it had fallen to Howell until Becker and his new wife returned. Returned to work at least since they'd gotten back from Hawaii yesterday and Becker was in the armory at that very moment. Howell had no idea why Becker wasn't glued to Jess' side, but he figured it had something to do with the shopping trip he'd heard Katie talking about on the phone. He sighed and tuned out what the presenter was saying, it wasn't anything different than the meeting he'd been forced to sit through last week. His eyes roamed the room and landed on the one good thing about being stuck in this room. Katie was standing against the wall and he knew that she was as bored as he was, but she somehow made it look like she was hanging on every word. He'd have to get her to teach him that trick. True to his word he'd spent the last two weeks doing everything he could to get her to go out with him, though it was proving less than fruitful. All he wanted to do was pull her into an empty office and convince her to give him a chance, but he knew that she would only bolt if he tried. His only option was to be nothing more than friendly and it was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. He'd been patient and tried to back off a little and fortunately it hadn't lasted long, but unfortunately now she wasn't talking to him.

_Howell walked into the locker room about a week after the wedding a little less than enthusiastic about the day ahead. He'd been up most of the night after have the nightmares again. They'd been haunting him since the day he'd fallen. It was always the same dream. He was stuck on the floor, with that burning piece of metal running through his stomach, unable to move as the raptor slowly circled a terrified Katie. It lunged for her, its claws easily ripping through her skin and spraying him with blood. Night after night he woke covered in sweat, his heart racing, and Katie's name on his lips. Seeing her every day and having to act like he didn't feel anything more to him than a co-worker or friend was wearing on him._

_He sat on the thin wooden bench that seemed to be in every locker room and dropped his forehead against the cold metal lockers in exhaustion._

_"You alright James?" her voice was hesitant, but concerned, and flowed over him like a smooth caress. A small warm hand came to rest on his shoulder and he couldn't decide if he wanted to shrug it off or envelop it with his own. He wondered if she realized how much she affected him, or if she was really that clueless when it came to him. In the end he settled for just leaving the hand where it was without comment or action._

"_Just tired is all," he said as he began to put his things in the locker with his name emblazed across the front. Katie had yet to move away from him or take her hand off his shoulder._

_"I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the wedding and at your flat," she said behind him. He heard her take a deep breath and braced himself for the inevitable words to come. "I think it would be better if we pretended it never happened." Howell rested his head against the lockers again fighting back the anger and frustration that was rising in him. It was exactly what he'd expected her to say. _

_"James?" she said when he didn't answer right away. Hearing her call him James instead of Howell snapped something inside of him._

_"No," he said turning to face a very surprised looking Katie, "I love you Katie, and I am done with pretending everything is fine the way it is." Howell hadn't meant to say all this, but it was like a damn had opened and he couldn't stop. "There is no way I can pretend it didn't happen, because if I had my way you'd be coming home with me every night." Katie stood there looking at him with a look of shock on her face. She didn't say anything and he waited a few minutes, hoping she would say something, anything. In the end he just gave up and brushed past her._

"_I should get to work," he said as he walked out the door._

As if she could feel him looking at her she turned her head towards him and he quickly snapped his head back towards the presenter, pretending to be absorbed in the lecture. When she turned her head back he watched her out of the corner of his eye. He sighed when he saw her deep red hair pulled tightly into a bun, it killed him when she kept it like that. He'd only seen it down twice since he'd met her. The first time was the day they met, and the second was at the wedding. He frowned as he thought of how her hair had been up the day she came by his flat. It hadn't been as tight as it usually was, the looser grip allowing a few strands to fall to draw attention to the perfect pink lips. Though if someone asked him why he remembered that little fact he wouldn't know why. He did know that he loved seeing her hair flowing freely down her back, it made him think of how it would look spread over his pillows, or slicked to her back with sweat. He shifted in his seat, his pants suddenly fitting a little tighter than was comfortable and turned his attention back to the presenter once again, knowing that if that couldn't get rid of his burgeoning erection nothing would.

He was horribly relieved when the meeting let out and he went to find Becker to fill him in on the events of the last two weeks, the professional events at least. He and Becker might be becoming friends, but they were nowhere near close enough to share that much. Howell almost laughed as he imagined the look on Becker's face if he tried to talk to him about Katie. He was so preoccupied with his amusing thoughts that he ran right into Katie before he even realized she was there. He automatically grabbed her arms to keep her from falling and was surprised when his hands met bare skin instead of the black cloth. She'd changed into an emerald sundress that showed off her figure perfectly, but his eyes were drawn to the mass of wavy red hair that tumbled down her back and made him yearn to run his fingers through it.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he tried to cover the fact that he'd been ogling her in the middle of the hallway and dropped her arms.

"It's alright," she said nervously playing with her hair. They both stood in an awkward silence before Howell finally interrupted it.

"Why aren't you in uniform?" he asked, honestly curious. Katie looked down at her clothes as if she'd forgotten that she'd forgotten what she was wearing.

"It's my day off," she said quietly, "I just had to come in for the meeting." Another silence followed as Howell warred with himself, wanting to complement her and knowing it was probably a bad idea. He was about to tell her she looked wonderful and damn the consequences, when another soldier called him over. When he turned back to Katie to excuse himself, all he saw was the hem of her dress as she turned the corner.

"Shit," he mumbled before he went to see what the soldier wanted.

Katie made it out to her car and into the driver's seat in record time. As soon as she was sure no one could see her she dropped her head to the steering wheel with a groan.

"Why does he have to be so perfect?" she asked the empty car. The ringing of her cell phone made Katie jump, nearly hitting her head on the small car's ceiling. She scrambled to find her phone in the mess she called her purse, and smiled when she saw Jess' number on the screen.

"Hey girly," she said, instantly in a better mood. Jess seemed to have that effect on her. She never would have expected to become friends with someone like Jess, but she was happy that it had turned out that way.

"Are you on your way?" Katie could hear the excitement in Jess' voice.

"Excited are we?" Katie asked with a giggle and heard Jess laugh in return.

"Most definitely, so hurry up!" Jess hadn't stopped laughing the entire time they were on the phone. Katie put in her ear piece so she could talk to Jess while she drove and pulled out of the parking spot. The streets were relatively deserted as she made her way to the flat that Jess and Becker shared.

"I talked to Howell today," she said, needing to talk it out with someone. Jess knew there was tension between the two of them, but Katie hadn't told her what Howell had said in the locker room last week.

"What happened?" Jess asked, her voice instantly filling with worry.

"We literally ran into each other and he apologized," she said, not sure if Jess would pick up on her discomfort or not. Luckily she did.

"Why doesn't that sound like the only thing that happened?"

"It was all that happened today, but…" Katie trailed off, not really sure if she wanted to really talk about it anymore.

"But?" Jess prompted.

"Last week he told me he loved me," Katie said quickly and heard Jess' gasp of surprise.

"That's great! What did you say?" Jess said all this so fast that her voice suddenly reminded Katie of a chipmunk on crack.

"Breath Jess," she said, "I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say, so I've been avoiding him." Katie winced when she admitted the last part because she knew what Jess was going to say.

"You are too much like Becker," Jess sighed, "Oh wait I think I see you."

She nearly started laughing again when she saw Jess standing on the side walk in her bright pink dress and her heels, waving her down like a maniac.

"Okay I can see you, so I'm gonna hang up now," she said and hit the end call button on her phone. Jess scrambled into the passenger seat as soon as Katie pulled up next to her.

"Where to first?" Katie asked before Jess could say anything else about Howell, effectively putting the previous discussion behind her.

It was another hour before Howell could get away from the problem the soldier had brought him and find Becker. He didn't have to search hard for him since it was common knowledge that if Jess wasn't at the ARC than Becker would be in the armory. Sure enough Becker was sitting at his desk in the armory with his back to the door. He was staring at something at the desk, and based on the ridiculously goofy grin on his face it was something good. Curious, and knowing that Becker would hide whatever he was looking at if he knew he was there, Howell carefully snuck up on the slightly older man until he could see what it was. He was in for the shock of his life because he really wasn't expecting to see the normally serious SAS Captain grinning like a fool at a small black and white sonogram.

"I'm guessing you got your wife pregnant and not some random chick off the street." He said hoping to catch Becker off guard. He got his with when Becker shot out of his chair, stuffing the sonogram into his pocket at the same time. Howell could see the wheels in Becker's head spinning as he tried to figure out a reason to have the sonogram.

"There is no excuse you can come up with that I will believe," he said simply, making his C.O.'s shoulders slump. Becker rubbed a hand over his face and groaned.

"Jess didn't want anyone to know before we were sure the baby would survive," he said. Howell looked at him in shock, not expecting that at all. The way Becker said it made it seem like the couple honestly didn't expect the baby to make it.

"Why is she worried?" He asked without thinking, he realized that they might not want to share.

"Jess' family has a history of miscarriages, so she just wants to be sure before anyone else gets excited." Howell nodded his understanding.

"I'll keep it to myself," he said and paused for a second, "Does anyone else know?"

"Katie knows. We wanted someone in Medical to know, just in case." Howell nodded and quickly changed the subject seeing how much it made Becker uncomfortable. They spent the next hour discussing the events and anomaly alerts that had occurred over the last few weeks. Howell tried to pester Becker for honeymoon details, but Becker was as tight lipped as ever.

The two men were laughing as Howell told Becker about one of the anomaly alerts where Connor had somehow managed to get stuck on the rafters at a theater, and it had taken them over an hour to get him down, when Connor came racing into the room.

"Speak of the devil," Howell laughed while Connor was doubled over trying to catch his breath.

"What is it Connor?" Becker asked with a chuckle of his own. When Connor looked up Howell and Becker stopped laughing. The look on his face was so full of fear and agony that they knew something was wrong.

"You and Abby get in a row?" Howell asked, knowing that Connor did have the tendency to over react when it came to the blond spitfire he was with.

"Katie… Jess… car crash… bad," Connor wheezed. Both men went still at Connor's announcement and looked at each other for a second, before setting off at a sprint towards the carport.


	10. Chapter 9

**Yay another chapter! Hope everyone likes it, and there will be a glossary at the end to explain the medical terms. Enjoy!**

Howell held on for dear life as Becker broke every traffic law in the city, and quite possibly the country, as they raced to the hospital. The fact that Becker's knuckles were white where they gripped the steering wheel he could tell that he would have to be the one to keep his cool, at least until they found Jess. Then he could focus his attention of finding Katie and just holding her tight to reassure him that she hadn't been lost. It was the only thing on his mind since Connor had run into the armory. Becker hit the brakes hard enough to force Howell to brace himself against the dashboard and the two men quickly crashed through the doors to the ER, drawing some odd looks from the people in the waiting room. Becker looked around, panic obvious in his eyes and Howell looked around as well trying to find some sign of the girls. Spotting a nurse's station Howell grabbed Becker's shoulder and started dragging him to it. Halfway there Becker figured out where they were headed and shrugged off Howell's hand. The nearest nurse looked up when they reached the desk and Becker instantly started talking.

"I'm looking for my wife, Jessica Becker," he said, fear obvious in his voice, "She was in a car accident." Howell had never heard so much emotion in Becker's voice and that alone nearly brought him to his knees at the thought of losing someone you loved that much. He recoved as quickly as he could, putting back on the mask of a soldier. The nurse, who had been typing away on her computer, sadly shook her head at the two men.

"I'm sorry, we don't have any patient by that name here. Maybe she was taken to another hospital?" she said. Becker grabbed his head his hands, his face filled with frustration and fear. Howell spoke up for the first time since they'd heard about the accident.

"Try Jessica Parker," he told the nurse and Becker looked at him is surprise. Howell shrugged, doing his best to keep his own anxiety in check. "She's only been Becker for two weeks." Becker nodded and Howell turned back to the nurse. "Can you look for Katie, I mean Kathryn Bennett, too. She was in the same car." The nurse nodded and went back to typing, leaving both men to wait for her to find whatever information she could.

"We don't have a Kathryn, or Katie, Bennett. But Jessica Parker is in trauma 3." The words had barely left her mouth before the men had taken off in the direction the woman had indicated. Howell was having trouble breathing as he thought about Katie. He had no idea if she was fine, where she was, or if she was even still alive. Howell shook his head to erase all the negative thoughts running through his head and focused on helping Becker find Jess. _She'll be fine, _he told himself, s_he has to be._ He quickly wiped away the tears that had escaped before Becker could see them and grabbed a nearby orderly.

"Trauma 3?" he asked as Becker looked at all the doors in the hallway.

"Second door on the left," he said and they marched towards the door with purpose. Becker faltered and stopped about five feet away from the door, his face going white once again.

"If she's dead I…," Becker trailed off and his face crumpled at the thought.

"I can go in first if you want, but you're the one she'll want to see." Howell said, his own emotions on edge at the thought of losing either Katie or Jess. Becker nodded and took a deep breath, before heading to the door to see his wife. When Becker paused with his hand hovering over the handle, Howell pushed past him and threw the door open, needing to know what had happened either way. He let out a sigh of relief when Jess snapped her head towards the door, and Howell reached back to grab a fist full of Becker's shirt to pull the stunned man into the room. They were silent as Becker and Howell stared at Jess. Her face was a mass of purple bruises and the staff hadn't cleaned away the blood dripping from the large cut across her forehead. It made a gruesome picture that neither man ever wanted to see again.

"Becker?" Jess' quaking voice brought them back to reality. Howell watched as Becker marched over to the bed, with renewed purpose, and buried his face into the side of his wife's neck. Howell knew from the shaking of Becker's shoulders that the man had burst into tears at the sight of his wife, injured, but alive. Jess wrapped her arms around Becker's neck, her eyes already filled with tears.

"I don't know if the baby's okay," Jess' voice was voice quiet and cracking, making it hard for them to hear her. Howell watched as Becker tensed. Howell watched as Becker did his best to comfort Jess, fighting back his own need to question her about Katie.

"Don't think like that until we know for sure," Becker said, still holding his terrified wife in his arms.

"What happened to Katie?" Howell hadn't meant to say it, but he couldn't go without knowing anymore. Jess looked at him and, if it was possible, her eyes filled with even more tears.

"I don't know," she said, "There was so much blood and she wasn't moving." The image of Katie battered, bloody, and slumped over the steering wheel of her car flashed through his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut against it, hoping it would disappear quickly.

"They brought me here before they could get her out," Jess said huddling back against Becker. Howell had more questions, but before he could ask the door to the room opened and a nurse walked in with an ultrasound.

"Alright," she said, "We'll get this hooked up and check on the little one." Howell backed out of the room, not wanting to be with the couple if the worst happened, and walked back towards the nurse's station to ask about Katie again. The nurse looked up at him when he approached and spoke before he could get a word in.

"Kathryn Bennett's being brought in now," she said as she rushed for the ambulance bay. Howell started to follow her only to be brought up short at the sight before him. At least ten people were running alongside a gurney as a medic on top was shouting.

"Lost the pulse on route. She's been in V-fib for seven minutes." He was doing what looked like CPR on the patient lying still on the white sheets.

"I need a crash cart in here," one of the people in a white coat shouted, "and get me an EKG." One of the nearby nurses ran off without another word and Howell could hear a medic off to the side describing the patient's condition to a doctor.

"She was trapped in the car for at least thirty minutes, before we could get her out. She never once regained consciousness. The patient has multiple contusions and lacerations, a fractured femur," Howell felt his heart dropping further and further as he listened to what the medic was saying. He was just hoping he was wrong and the person on the gurney wasn't who he thought it was. A nurse brushed past him, dragging some kind of machine behind her. Howell willed his leaden feet to move towards the room so he could hear the doctors better, but he still couldn't see who was lying on the gurney. He could see the ends of a stethoscope in one doctor's ears as the man listened to the patient's heart.

"I've got muffled heart sounds and distended veins in the neck," he told the people surrounding him. The doctor tore off the stethoscope and slung it around his neck. "Pericardial Tamponade. Put her on high flow O2 and get me a pericardiocentesis kit."

Howell felt his legs give out and he hit the floor hard as the movements of the medical staff revealed his worst nightmare come to life. Katie was lying there, dying, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

**Just some definitions for some of the medical terms used.**

**Pericardiocentesis is a procedure that uses a needle to remove fluid from the pericardial sac, the tissue that surrounds the heart.**

**Cardiac tamponade is compression of the heart that occurs when blood or fluid builds up in the space between the myocardium (heart muscle) and the pericardium (outer covering sac of the heart).**

**Ventricular fibrillation****(VF) is a severely abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that can be life-threatening. AKA V-fib**


	11. Chapter 10

**So I usually only work on one story at a time, and I've had a story floating around in my mind for a while that I've been putting off so I can work on this one. The only problem is that I've been getting very few reviews, with the exception of a few readers who review on a regular basis, and I really rely on the feedback to see where the story should go. So I'm beginning to think about putting this story on temporary hiatus and work on the other story. (which is not a Primeval fic btw) So if you want the story to continue I need to know. Anyway, here's the latest chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

Howell felt a hand on his arm and he allowed the nurse to drag him away from the room, where the doctors worked frantically to save Katie. All he could do was stare at the sight before him, knowing he was completely helpless in this situation, and do his best to stand back up. But his legs refused to work. The nurse, who was much stronger than she appeared, bodily lifted him off the floor and into a chair.

"Take deep breaths," she said softly into his ear, and that's when Howell realized that he hadn't been breathing. Air rushed into his lungs as he forced himself to take a deep breath.

"Is she…, Is she going to be okay?" he asked her, not even trying to hide the way his voice was braking at the thought of never seeing her smile again. The older woman looked at him in sympathy.

"We don't know yet sweetie," she said gently and Howell nodded, thankful that she was telling him the truth instead of filling him with false hope.

"Are you family?" she asked, obviously torn between wanting to help him and needing to follow hospital protocol.

"No, but I…," Howell took a deep breath to steady himself, "I love her." He said simply, earning another sympathetic look from the nurse.

"So you're her fiancé," the nurse said and Howell frowned in confusion. He shook his head.

"No I-."

"So I can keep you updated because you're family." She said quickly interrupting him. She said it slowly as if speaking to a small child, or an idiot and Howell quickly understood. Just as he was about to thank her, a voice from the other room called her away and left Howell to sit alone in the chair with only his thoughts for company. Within a few minutes a hand landed on his shoulder, making him jump, and he looked behind him to see a smiling Becker.

"They think the baby's going to be okay," he said. Howell tried to at least fake a smile for his friend, but he felt so numb that nothing worked. Becker's face slowly creased into a frown and his mouth opened to say something when another voice interrupted him.

"Did you find Katie yet?" Jess asked walking slowly to them. Becker instantly grabbed a nearby chair and guided her into it, his frown deepening with concern.

"You shouldn't be walking around yet," Becker's voice sounded muffled to Howell as he watched the pair, detached from everything around him except for the couple next to him and the organized chaos that surrounded the woman he loved.

"Any news on Katie?" Becker asked. Howell pointed at the room filled with doctors and nurses, feeling light headed. A sudden commotion from the room had Howell's body out of the chair before his mind even registered what was going on. Becker and Jess followed close behind, their faces filled with confusion. Howell stared into the room, unable to say anything, watching as the doctors set up some procedure he didn't understand.

"Holy shit," Becker breathed. Howell turned to see Becker's eyes go wide as he took in the sight of the frantic medical team. Jess came from behind him her face still full of confusion, until she saw Katie. She gasped and would have collapsed to the floor of Becker hadn't caught her.

"Oh my god!" she said, her voice breaking as tears began to run down her face. Her hand came up to cover her mouth and she began to sob roughly. Becker's arms came around her and pulled her into his chest to protect her from prying eyes. When Howell met his gaze he could see the sadness and sympathy that filled them. Unable to process all that was happening, Howell turned away and fixed his gaze on the injured woman on the bed. Wishing he could simply will back to health. Unfortunately for him, he chose to look back at the exact moment the doctor stuck a large needle into Katie's chest.

"What the hell?" he said fighting his way forward, convinced that the doctors had no idea what they were doing. His eyes were focused on the needle that disappeared into Katie's chest and the syringe that was quickly filling with blood. He was so intent on his mission that he barely felt hands grab him from behind. With sharp movements he tried to shrugged them off, but they just became more insistent until one finally wrapped itself around his neck in a rear naked choke.

"Damn in Howell!" Becker's voice was right next his ear and Howell figured he was one putting him in the chokehold, "Knock it off and let the doctors do their jobs." His concern for Katie wiped all traces of rational thoughts from his mind, so he only struggled harder to get away from the restraining arms, until he heard a comforting beeping and a doctor's shout.

"Pulse is back." Howell froze as the doctors pulled the side bars of the gurney back into place and started running. He followed them without really realizing it, listening to their shouted orders.

"Prep an OR and tell them we're on our way," one doctor shouted to the nurse at the station as they rushed past. Howell started to follow them into the elevator when a hand stopped him again. He turned around to find an orderly holding onto his arm with a look of sympathy on his face.

"I'm sorry sir," He said, quickly dropping his hand away from the larger man's arm, "Medical personal only." He pointed at the large sign beside the elevator doors. The doors slid closed, slowly obstructing Katie from view.

When he finally lost sight of her, it was more than Howell could take. He quickly made his way to the nearest bathroom and was violently ill. After the contents of his stomach had made a reappearance Howell collapsed against the cold metal of the stall door and his resolve crumbled. His breaths came in ragged gasps and the tears he'd been fighting for the last hour streamed down his face. He heard the door open, but didn't care enough about his own vanity to try to get up.

"Howell? You in here?" Howell recognized Becker's voice and tossed his cell phone out of the stall so he didn't have to get up. He felt so drained that he didn't think he could even get up if he wanted. Black boots came into his view and a hand reached down to pick up the phone, before Becker's head popped around the door of the stall.

"You alright?" he asked sitting down next to Howell. Howell gave him a look that clearly said _Are you shitting me?_

"Sorry, stupid question," he said holding his hands up defensively. Both men fell into silence while Becker seemed to struggle to find some words of comfort.

"Look I know how you feel," he started and Howell couldn't help but start to get a little frustrated, "When Jess was…" Howell interrupted him quickly.

"With all due respect sir," he said, "You have no idea what I'm going through." When Becker would have interrupted him, Howell just ignored him and kept going. "Jess' stalker may have been a mystery, but you could fight him. You could do something about it eventually. There is absolutely nothing I can do to help her," Howell's voice filled with fear and anguish as he continued to speak, finally admitting the full extent of his helplessness to himself, "or protect her. All I can do is wait, and hope."


	12. Chapter 11

**Okay, I'm definitely not putting this story on hiatus anytime soon. Thank you so much for the encouragement and input. That being said, I really hope you all continue with the reviews so I can tell if the story is going in a direction you like. Here's the next chapter, so enjoy!**

**P.S. Boy or girl for Becker and Jess? Tell me what you think.**

There wasn't an inch on her body that didn't hurt, and Katie had no idea why. She could hear voices, but didn't have the strength to open her eyes and see who was there. _What the hell happened?_ She thought, struggling to think of what could have caused the pain. _I was meeting Jess for…, Jess!_ Memories came flooding back, which only caused more dagger like pains to shoot through her head.

"Let's get her under so we can get started," she heard a voice say. _No, _she thought, _what happened to Jess?_

"Anesthesia's on board," another voice said near her right ear. Katie could feel herself drifting away and tried to fight it, but it was too strong. _I want James, _she thought before finally letting the feelings take over and drifting away.

_Katie leaded back in her chair at the small café she and Jess had stopped at for lunch. They had already been to three stores in two hours and she was already exhausted. As much as she loved Jess, her spunky personality could be a lot to try and keep up with for extended periods of time. At the moment Jess was happily chattering about Katie's love life, or lack thereof._

_ "You really should give Howell a chance," she said rooting through her purse, pulling out every receipt she could find. Katie couldn't help but laugh a little at her antics. She'd found over the course of their friendship that Jess had the habit of stuffing all her receipts into her purse and organizing them by time stamp in her wallet later. Katie on the other hand just shoved them in her purse which she emptied once a week._

_ "Are you listening?" Jess asked leaning towards her. Katie sighed and resisted the urge to rest her forehead against the cold glass of the table._

_ "Yes I'm listening," she said quietly, "and it's a bad idea to get involved with someone at work." She turned to look at Jess, who was frowning her unhappiness at her comment. _

_ "You and Becker are the exception." She said and Jess' quickly went from frowning to beaming at the thought of her new husband. "Now enough about my love life, I want to hear about the honeymoon." Katie laughed as Jess went bright red from what she assumed was embarrassment._

_ "Oh no you don't," the younger woman said wagging a finger at Katie, much like a scolding mother, "You're not getting out of this talk that easy." Katie sighed at the determination in her voice. Jess could be a blood hound when it comes to conversation topics, and this had become one of her favorites._

_ "There's nothing to talk about," she said turning her attention to the menu on the green glass table, "I can't get involved with someone I work with." Before Jess could answer a pretty young waitress came over to take their order. As one of the only people who actually knew Jess was pregnant Katie made sure that Jess ordered something healthy, and she took her duty very seriously. Jess glared at Katie when she cleared her throat as Jess tried to order some chicken fingers and fries. Jess relented and both women got lemon-garlic roasted chicken and veggies._

_ "You're no fun," Jess said after the waitress walked away. Katie responded by sticking out her tongue, causing both women to dissolve into laughter._

_ "Why don't you want to get involved with someone at work?" Jess asked when the laughter had finally subsided._

"_Can you just leave it alone?" Katie sighed sadly_

_keeping her eyes on the table. She could see Jess' reflection in the glass and saw the concern in her friend's eyes._

_ "What's wrong? It could work out. Just look at me and Becker," She said, obviously trying to be positive and helpful. Katie couldn't be mad, or even aggravated with her because she was honestly trying to be a good friend._

_ "You and Becker don't work together," she said quickly and held up her hand to stop Jess when she opened her mouth to argue. "Not in a face to face manner at least. I'm on the same team as Howell, there's no way that could work." _

_ "Why not?" Jess asked, her naïve confusion etched on her face. Katie sighed, she really hadn't wanted to admit what had been happening to her friend._

_ "Because he might as well be my superior, and I don't need people speculating that I slept my way into my job." She hissed out, hating the fact that she had to worry about that kind of thing. Unfortunately it was an unfortunate fact of life women had to deal with in the world they lived in. Jess' eyes went wide at the idea that someone might think that and Katie really wished that she didn't have to ruin the young woman's surprising innocence._

_ "They wouldn't think that," she said quietly, making Katie snort, a trait of hers that she really wish she hadn't inherited from her father._

_ "They already do," she said quickly falling into silence as the waitress arrived with their food. Both women thanked her and tucked into their food. "They just don't say anything around Howell or Becker since they seem to actually have a small amount of self preservation."_

_ "Is it just about you, or do they say that about all the girls?"_

_ "The only reason they don't say it about you because Becker would throw them through the nearest anomaly and lock it." Katie laughed at the image of Becker walking away from an anomaly dusting off his hands after a job well done. A groan from Jess pulled Katie out of her day dream and she saw that the other woman had taken a bite of the chicken on her plate._

_ "Okay, I officially no longer hate you. This is amazing," she said._

_ "I'm glad you like it," Katie said as she took a bite of her own and immediately closed her eyes in pleasure._

_ "yep, this is amazing," she said before both women attacked their food like starved animals, or like a pregnant woman and a soldier._

_ It wasn't long before they had cleaned their plates and paid their bills. It wasn't a long walk to the car park where they'd left the car and they walked in silence, just admiring the greenery of the park surrounding them._

_ "Where to next?" Katie asked Jess as she hit the button on her keychain to unlock the car. Jess smiled as she scrambled into the small dark purple sedan._

_ "Well," she said looking at the collection of bags stuffed into the back seat. They'd gotten clothes, furniture, basically anything and everything a baby could need. Even though Jess didn't know if she was having a mini Becker, or a mini Jess. "I honestly don't know what to do next. Time to go home?" Katie smiled at the thought of curling up on the couch with a good book._

_ "Thank god!" she said, "I'm all for shopping, but I think I've had enough for the day." Jess started laughing and turned the radio onto a popular station. Soon her dainty voice filled the car. They were down the street before they knew it and Katie was singing along.__When the song finally ended both women were disappointed, especially when a really bad song came on and they both scrambled for the dial to turn it off._

_ "Katie, I really think you should give Howell a try," Jess said quietly, "You like him, and I just want to be happy." Katie didn't have the heart to argue with her and she was honestly tired of pretending that she didn't want to be with Howell. She looked at the hopeful face and she caved._

_ "I'll think about it," she said, "Just don't go planning a wedding yet." Jess giggled and turned her attention back to the radio as they came slowly to a stop at a red light. Katie glanced around at the surrounding traffic, not terribly happy that another car had pulled up to them on Jess' side. It was probably the soldier in her, but she hated having escape routes cut off. Something caught her eye and she squinted to see what it was. Her eyes widened in shock as the blue truck in the distance weaved down the road, without slowing down. She swallowed her fear when she realized that it was heading straight for them. She knew it was a cliché, but everything really did seem to slow down. She could see that Jess had seen it too and had wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively. She was pushing herself back into the chair as far as she could. Katie had a split second to make a decision, and it was a surprisingly easy one to make. _Damn, _she thought._

_ "Katie," Jess' fearful voice was the last deciding factor. Slamming the car in gear she jolted forward and turned the wheel, just as the truck came barreling into them. It hit the driver's side hard, just like Katie knew it would._

_ The sound of crunching metal and bone filled the air, mixing with Jess' screams. Katie had only a split second to pray that everything would be okay before she faded into blackness. _


	13. Chapter 12

**Thanks for all the input! I'm still not sure what Becker and Jess will have, so just be patient with me. I promise you'll know soon enough. I just have to see if Katie's going to live or not first. Here's the latest chapter. Enjoy!**

The hours Katie was in surgery passed slowly, drawing out Howell's suffering exponentially. His mood switched from dark and brooding, where he'd sit unmoving for up to an hour, to feeling like his skin was crawling if he didn't get up and move around. More than one nurse had already threatened to sedate him if he kept it up. He sighed and ran his fingers roughly through his hair, his body beginning to rebel against the stress his mind was putting it under. His stomach was rolling as his mind flicked through all the worst case scenarios he could be facing with Katie, from her dying on the table to never waking up and just sleeping away the rest of her life. He knew that if that happened he'd never be able to pull the plug. _Not that it would be your choice,_ he thought to himself grimly. He had no legal standing to her heath care, rendering him pretty useless when it came to making decisions that could save her life.

He could feel someone watching him, a special skill he'd picked up in Special Forces, and when he looked up he saw one of the nurses glaring at him. Conceding defeat he trudged off back to his reserved chair in Jess' room. The three of them were actually quite grateful that the doctor in charge of Katie's case had agreed to inform them of her condition in Jess' room in the prenatal wing, rather than the waiting room of the ER. Needing to burn off some excess energy he took the stairs at a run up to the fifth floor and when he finally reached the correct floor, a very surprised Abby and Connor were just stepping off the elevator. He wasn't sure if he could handle the goofy genius at the moment, and he didn't want to test it. Steeling himself for the bad jokes and optimism he turned around.

"Howell!" Connor said before Howell could make his escape back down the stairs. Howell grimaced and slowly turned back around to face the couple both of whom looked completely serious, much to his surprise.

"Two questions," Connor said before either of the other two could say a word, "First off. Why are we in the maternity ward? Second. How could this happen?" The second question was barely above a whisper and it was the same thing Howell had been thinking since the call had come in. He was pretty sure that everyone else had been thinking the same thing too. Connor and Abby looked at him expectantly and he just indicated for them to follow him, not wanting to talk about Katie and knowing that Jess' pregnancy wasn't his secret to reveal. They followed him without question, all of them nearly running towards the door. The last thing they expected to see when they opened the door was Lester talking to Becker next to Jess' bed.

"Sir," Connor nearly shouted in surprise at the sight of their sardonic boss standing in the hospital room, "What are you doing here?" Howell was just as surprised to see him, but was better at hiding it. Lester and Becker both looked over at their co workers at the outburst. Howell instantly locked gazes with Becker and frowned when he saw the worry and guilt in his eyes. Jess looked absolutely stunned.

"Always a pleasure to see you as well Temple," Lester said dryly, holding up a hand to forestall whatever apology Connor had been about to stammer out, "As much as I enjoy your riveting company, I'm only here to inform you of the police findings." Everyone, but Jess and Becker, turned their attention to the impeccably dressed man, who just sighed and looked at his watch. "Right," he said clapping his hands together, "Becker can fill you in while I have a chat with the hospital staff." He walked out, leaving stunned faces in his wake. Connor turned to Becker with his hands held up in a palm up gesture.

"What was that all about?" He asked. Howell and Abby, who had still been staring after Lester in surprise, turned to look at the SAS Captain. Becker rubbed the back of his neck and directed most of his attention to Howell as he spoke.

"It was a drunk driver," he said, "he hit the girls after running a light, and…" he trailed off, his face growing hard, "and he got away without a scratch." Howell's fists start itching to pummel the man who hurt Katie and got away perfectly healthy. _He's a dead man, _he thought to himself, already picturing all the painful ways to destroy the drunken sop. Becker had moved back to the bedside and had a sobbing Jess wrapped in his arms. From the looks Becker kept throwing his way there was something else, something that had upset Jess again. He didn't particularly want to scare Jess, so kept his jaw clenched tightly shut to keep from exploding in anger.

"What aren't you telling me?" He growled through gritted teeth. He didn't like the way Becker glanced at Jess before answering.

"They caught the accident on camera, and it looks like Katie saw it coming," he said. He looked at Howell and sighed, "She turned the car at the last second to take the brunt of the impact."

Howell was silent for a moment, trying to process what Becker had just told him.

"So…" he said slowly, "Katie may die because she wanted to protect Jess and the baby?"

"Baby?" Connor asked with a shocked look on his face, "What baby?" He glanced between Jess and the two men, one of whom looked ready to murder someone, before falling silent. Howell could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears as his pulse picked up. Katie was the type of person who would put her friends first and he knew that, but it didn't stop his irrational brain from needing someone to blame. His eyes settled on Jess.

"What makes your life worth more than hers?" He asked advancing on her as she pushed herself farther back onto the bed, only to have Becker suddenly become an immovable force between them.

"You're my friend and I know you're upset, but if you take another step I will put you in the ground," Becker said with out a hint of reserve. Before either man could do anything the door opened. Their military training had them spinning around to confront whatever threat they were facing. The doctor didn't look at all fazed that he was suddenly facing down two Special Forces soldiers who were prepped for a fight.

"You're all here for Ms. Bennett?" The doctor's question caught everyone's attention, even Becker and Howell's.

"Is she alright?" Howell asked, any problem with Becker and Jess momentarily forgotten.

"I can't promise anything. She's out of surgery, and if she survives the next twenty-four hours than she has a chance," he said. Howell felt a small wave of relief wash over him at the thought of her having even the smallest chance of survival. He looked up to see that the doctor hadn't stopped talking. The rest of the team had looks of fear and sadness on their face, making Howell a little uncomfortable at not knowing what the doctor had said.

"Sorry," he said when the doctor stopped for a moment, "I missed the last bit." The doctor looked at him with understanding.

"I was saying we lost her on the table for about five minutes before we got her back. There is a chance that while her body survives, she may never actually wake up." He turned to address the entire room again, "She's been moved to the ICU so you can visit her, but no more than two people at a time. Just ask the desk nurse for her room number."

No one spoke as the doctor left, or for a few minutes after, and Howell was eternally grateful. He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to hold it together on his own, let alone if the others started talking about it. He wasn't sure what was worse, Katie dying or having her linger on in some sick version of a living death. Howell saw the other's around him holding on to each other for strength and comfort. Connor had tears in his eyes and a shocked Abby held tightly against him, while Becker had joined Jess on the bed. His face was an emotionless mask and Jess had her face buried so deep into his shoulder that only the top of her head was visible. The entire scene was more than Howell could take and he quickly made his exit, throwing open the door as hard as he could to find the familiar stairs he'd been running all day. When he reached the stairwell, his long legs allowed him to take them three at a time to reach the ICU in record time.


	14. Chapter 13

**Here's the chapter everyone's been waiting for. Is Katie alive or dead? And please don't forget that I work better with reviews. Enjoy!**

The others came to see Katie one at a time because Howell refused to leave the room, all except Jess. Howell guessed her absence had more to do with him being in the room than her not wanting to see Katie. More likely it was that Becker wouldn't let her be in the room with him until he knew Howell had calmed down. Rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous gesture he watched as Abby spoke quietly to the silent woman on the bed. It was hard to watch the woman he loved looking so still, and pale. Her legs were covered with a blue hospital blanket, but he knew that her left leg was encased in a cast. The doctors had been amazed that it was her only broken bone. On the outside she was relatively unscathed, a few cut, scratches and bruises from when the airbags deployed. It was the internal injuries that had nearly killed her. The doctors said that the car had smashed the steering wheel into her chest, making her rib cage fluctuate back into her chest, causing massive internal bleeding.

After about fifteen minutes of talking Abby left the room, pausing only to set a comforting hand on Howell's arm and giving it a squeeze. He nodded his thanks and waited for the door to close behind her to sink into the now empty bedside chair. His body was slowly crashing in exhaustion now that his adrenaline was wearing off and he gave up on his usual military posture and slumped down in the chair.

"Adrenaline crashes are the worst," Becker said from behind him, making him jump to his feet again. Becker held his hands up in apology and leaned against the door jam, "How are you holding up?" Howell instantly felt a wave of shame rush over him at how he spoke to Jess earlier. He shifted his weight from side to side, actually nervous about apologizing to Becker.

"Sir, I uh…," he started, not really sure what he was doing, "When I said… what I said, I wasn't thinking and I'm sorry." He sighed his relief when Becker nodded in understanding.

"I'm not happy about it, but I understand," He said, "Jess wanted to see her, but she fell asleep waiting." His grin widened at the thought of his pregnant wife sleeping in the other room. Both men were silent for a moment before Becker pushed away from the wall, he clapped Howell on the shoulder.

"I've got to get back to Jess," he said, looking Howell in the eye, "Let us know if you need anything." He left before Howell could say anything else.

Howell locked the door before anyone else could come in. It drove him insane how everyone was acting like she was already dead. Every time they came to the door they said they were "paying their respects", it was something you said when someone was dying. He'd hidden it well when the others were here, but his resolve was slowly deteriorating along with his energy. He returned to the chair next to Katie and slumped down again, his eyes never leaving the still form lying on the white sheets.

"I wish I could be mad at you for doing something so selfless, and stupid," he said, "but I can't. I can't be mad at you when you're lying there looking like you're moments away from dying." Howell's voice was breaking as he spoke, tears streaming freely down his face. "All I can do is wish that you'll wake up. I'll go back to annoying the hell out of you, and pretending there's nothing more between us than friendship. I will do anything you want, but you have to wake up." Howell stumbled back to the door to unlock it, knowing that the doctor's would need to get in if something happened and returned to the chair that had been his home for the last few hours. The exhaustion he'd fought since yesterday caught up to him and he dropped his head to lay nest to Katie's uninjured hip.

The lights felt like needles stabbing into her eyes as they fought to open. Katie blinked a few times as her eyes finally opened and the first thing she saw was the sterile ceiling of a hospital room. _That makes sense,_ she thought. She wanted to find out what had happened to Jess, but she knew she had to figure out what was going on with her first. She moved her limbs one by one to see if they worked, starting with her arms. She breathed out relief when they twitched under her command. She brought them up to feel the tube she guessed was in her mouth, and sure enough it was there. _At least I'm not dead,_ she thought. Tears started to fill her eyes at the relief that she would see the people she loved again, and Howell was the first name on that list, but she fought them back knowing that tears and a trach tube were a bad mix.

Her legs were the next thing she tried to move, but stopped when spears of agony shot through one and the other hit something. Luckily her bed was reclined enough that she could look down, something not easy to do when you have a foot long tube in your throat, to see what she had hit. As soon as she saw the unkempt mop of dirty blond hair resting next to her hip she knew it was Howell. She nearly started crying again, wondering how long he'd been here, and reached out to set her hand on his head. Her fingers managed to brush the top of his head, and his hair felt like heaven against her skin after thinking she'd never feel it again. She moved her hand father towards him to run her fingers through his hair and felt him jerk awake. He looked up at her, surprise and pleasure written all over his face.

"Katie," he whispered as if he didn't believe what he was seeing. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before returning to stare at her in disbelief. For a moment that was all he did, and Katie took the opportunity to observe him as well. The bags under his eyes made it obvious that he hadn't gotten much sleep, and she wondered how long she'd been out. His hair was messy making her think of how it must look when he wakes up in the morning, and she realized that she wanted to find out.

"I'll go get the doctor," he said quickly, starting to stand. Katie grabbed his wrist before he could leave and tugged him back down. He looked at her, his face full of concern and confusion. Her finger beckoned him to come closer and she wished that she could talk, but she wasn't ready for him to leave yet. Even if it was just to get the doctor.

"Alright," he said sitting back down, "I'll just hit the cal button." He reached around and hit the button on the side of her bed, alerting the nurses that they were needed inside. Katie slid her hand down until it was gripping his, not letting go even when the nurses came in and hurried to find the doctor when they saw she was awake.

It was all a blur to Katie. The doctors came in, took the tube out which burned like hell and asked questions until she buried her head into the pillow. She heard Howell talk to the doctors and the sound the door made when it opened or closed. Her hair was brushed aside and she looked up to see Howell looking at her in concern, his fingers hovering near her hair. The next thing Katie knew she had her arms wrapped around his neck and he'd buried his face into her neck, inhaling deeply as if he was trying to memorize her scent.


	15. Chapter 14

**Yay! Katie's awake. Here's the latest chapter. Enjoy!**

Howell knew that Katie was still hurt, but all he could focus on was the fact that she was alive and wrapped safely in his arms. He held her to him as tightly as possible and breathed in her scent. He couldn't stop the tears that came to his eyes, and for the first time he didn't really want to. Her hands held him to her as tightly as he held her, and her fingers buried themselves in his hair.

"Please don't do that again," he whispered into the soft skin of her neck and he felt her arms tighten just little more. He pulled back, not caring if she saw the tears running down his cheeks, "I'm glad you're okay." Katie smiled at his unnecessary word and lifted a hand to cup his unshaven cheek. Before he even realized what was happening her lips were on his, soft and insistent. Howell froze for a moment, not sure if she actually wanted him or if it was just a reaction to the trauma. Eventually his resistance failed, after about two seconds, and he kissed her gently in return. The kiss was gently passionate, Katie taking the lead and Howell following her without question or complaint. Howell wasn't sure how much longer he could take the sensual torture without losing control, and was almost thankful when a knock sounded at the door. Both parties pulled back, short of breath, and took a minute before Howell gave the all clear.

"Come in," he called hoarsely. There was a flash of color as Jess launched herself at the bed and latching on to her injured friend. She started babbling incoherently sobbing at the same time. Close behind her was a much calmer Becker who simply shrugged when Howell looked up at him in confusion.

"It's the hormones," he said off hand as he watched his wife cling to the woman who saved her and her unborn child. Howell smothered a laugh at the dead pan tone the SAS Captain used. Once Jess had loosened her death grip on her friend Becker walked to the bed and gave Katie a light hug, which surprised him since Becker wasn't normally horribly affectionate with anyone other than Jess. He must have said something to her because she looked at him with tears in her eyes and nodded.

Abby and Connor entered minutes after the newlyweds effectively turning the room into a madhouse. Everyone was talking at once, filling the room with noise, and it was almost more than he could take. He looked over at Katie, who seemed to be having just as much trouble, if not more, with the commotion as he was. Finally having enough of the noise, Howell stood and grabbed Connor by the collar. Connor squeaked out a protest as he was bodily ejected from the room. Becker urged Jess gently away from Katie, taking his cue from Howell and exited the room with Abby close behind. When the door closed behind them Howell returned to Katie.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, at a loss to say anything else. Katie nodded and used her hands to indicate she wanted something to write with. Howell remembered the doctors saying it would be a few hours before her vocal cords recovered enough for her to talk and he scrambled to find some paper and a pen. He managed to get what she needed from the nurse outside and handed it to Katie, eager to see what she wrote.

"Go get some sleep," he read aloud when she turned the paper to him and laughed at little, happy his Katie was back in full force, "Still trying to take care of everyone huh?"

"It's my job," she wrote, making Howell laugh.

"So you want me to leave?" he was surprised when she started shaking her head violently, only to stop and hold her head in her hands. Howell was next to her in a second, holding onto her shoulders until she stopped swaying.

"That's not a good idea," he said, trying not to smile. She started writing again, and Howell could smell her scent as he read over her shoulder.

"I want you here tomorrow." She wrote. Howell kissed her on the temple softly, hoping that meant she wanted him in her life, and was rewarded when she leaned into the kiss. He rested his forehead on her shoulder taking deep breaths. _ I really am tired,_ he thought his eyes starting to close of their own volition.

Katie knew the moment Howell fell asleep, because there was suddenly more weight on her shoulder. Not that she minded, she was actually happier to have him sleeping here than at home. This was just not a situation she'd thought of, and it was quickly proving to be much better than her others. She pushed him back softly onto the pillows and used his pant legs to pull his feet onto the bed, stifling a giggle when she imagined what the nurse's reaction when they saw his dirty combat boots on the clean sheets. His face was completely relaxed in sleep, something she'd never seen on him. Her head rested easily on his chest and traveled with the rise and fall as he breathed.

As her body began to relax back into sleep, she let her mind wander back to the earlier reunion with her friends. Her heart had nearly leapt out of her chest when Jess had come running in, looking like she'd never even seen a car wreck let alone been in one. She hadn't realized just how much the cheerful field coordinator had come to mean to her until she'd seen the car heading their way. The first time Katie met Jess she'd had no idea what to do. Growing up surrounded by her father and brothers didn't really teach Katie how to act around other girls. But Jess had instantly made her feel at ease and at home. She squeezed the young woman back as hard as she could.

The hug from Becker had surprised her, as had his raggedly whispered thank you. It had taken the little strength she had to keep from crying. From what she knew of Becker, losing Jess just might have killed him especially now that she was pregnant. She was just happy that everything had turned out alright. All though she still had to apologize to Howell for pushing him away like she'd been. But if the arm that had just wrapped around her was any indication, he would most likely forgive her pretty quickly. She reached a hand up to trail over his whisker covered cheek, and the surprisingly soft lips that she desperately wanted to kiss. She yawned widely and snuggled closer to his warmth, her hand traveling down to settle over the steady beating of his heart as she fell asleep. _He's more comfortable than any pillow, _she thought.


	16. Chapter 15

**Sorry it took so long, I got sick so all my free time was spent sleeping, but here's the latest chapter. Enjoy!**

Howell swiped sleepily at whatever was tickling his nose, only to stop when he hit the silky material. He opened his eyes to see Katie's head resting gently on his shoulder, some of her red hair brushing his face. His small movement made her frown and snuggle closer to him, which only served to make him smile like an idiot. He didn't want to wake her since it was her first night out of the hospital, and he liked having her curled against him. He'd gotten used to it and didn't want the situation to change, minus the broken leg. Against hospital policy he'd slept next to Katie every night, and it was the best sleep he'd gotten in quite a while. Last night was the first time he'd slept in his usual bed attire, which consisted of a pair of soft cotton drawstring pants. He'd considered putting on a t-shirt, which he hated since it made him feel like someone was strangling him, just for the sake of her modesty. But when she didn't say anything about it as he crawled into her bed he figured she was okay with it. He didn't really want to move, but his bladder was telling him he probably should.

Carefully he extracted himself from her, making sure her head didn't hit the pillows to hard. He figured he would let her sleep while he answered the call of nature and started on breakfast, though he wasn't sure what she had in her cupboards since they'd gotten in rather late. Her crutches were by the bedroom door, and he moved them over to rest against her bedside table. She wouldn't want him to have to help her out of bad and he was going to do pretty much whatever she wanted him to.

The kitchen was surprisingly well stocked and he had a feeling that they had Jess to thank for that. He hadn't gotten far in making the scrambled eggs and toast he'd been planning when Katie swung into the room.

"Morning," he said cheerfully, trying to keep the eggs from burning. Not an easy thing to do when the woman you're in love with is standing less than five feet away from you wearing nothing but a pair of lace boy short panties and a tight t-shirt. She followed his gaze down her legs and blushed.

"Sorry," she said, "the pants were just too hard to get on over the cast.

Katie had woken up alone in bed, but the side Howell had spent the night in had still been warm so she didn't worry. If she listened carefully enough, she could hear him rattling around in the kitchen. She smiled into her pillow when she saw the crutches leaning on the nightstand and silently thanked the gods for Howell's insight. Her broken leg took a little maneuvering, but she eventually managed to get out of bed and into a standing position. She looked at the pair of sweat pants lying across the bed and knew there was no way she would be able to put them on, at least not by herself. A feverous blush blossomed on her cheeks as she pictured Howell helping her slide them over her legs, though she could more readily picture him taking them off.

Once the smell of breakfast began wafting through the small apartment, and Katie's stomach rumbled in response, she forgot all thoughts of modesty, needing to get to the food as soon as she was physically able. Howell had his back to her and she took a minute to really look at him. He looked so at home in her kitchen, and perfectly gorgeous in only a pair of seats, that she hoped she could convince him to stay forever. It wouldn't have seemed like such a monumental task a few weeks ago, but the hurt in his eyes when she'd told him to forget about what had happened at the wedding had kept her silent.

"Morning," he said breaking her out of her reverie. She caught his eye only to see it run down the length of her bare legs, something that only served to make her blush when she remembered she was only wearing a t-shirt and rather revealing panties.

"I should get dressed," she said pointing a thumb over her shoulder. She tried to ignore the wide grin on Howell's face, but it was difficult to ignore. Mostly because he was handsome at all times, but god like when he smiled.

"Don't change on my account," he said, his voice smug and hiding a little heat. Katie was pretty sure the room was heating up and it wasn't just on her side.

"We need to talk about what was said in the locker room." Howell's smile drooped a little before he managed to recover. He turned quickly back to the stove so all she could see was his back. She bit her lip, regretting she'd ever said those things that had obviously hurt him.

"There's nothing to talk about," he said without looking at her.

Thankful that only the lower half of her leg was currently encased in plaster, Katie left her crutches leaning against the dining room table and leveraged herself onto the counter.

"James," she said softly, trying to get his attention. She saw him stiffen a little before he focused his attention to the eggs in the pan like they were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.

"How long are you going to stay with me?" She asked him, deciding to change tactics.

"As long as you want me here," he still hadn't looked away from the stove and Katie wondered if he was afraid of what she might say next. She watched Howell turn off the stove and move the pan to a cool burner. Katie's answer was cut off by the sharp ring of Howell's phone and she sighed in frustration as he walked out of the room. It struck her than just how stuck she was in her position. There was no way she could jump off the counter without risking further injury to her leg.

"Ummm, Howell?" She called, hoping he could hear her through the house, and over whomever he was talking to. Sure enough his head popped around the hallway arch with an inquisitive look. Katie felt herself blush again at the fact that she had to ask for help.

"I'm stuck," she mumbled, partly hoping he wouldn't hear her but guessing by his smile he did.

"I'll be there in twenty," she heard him say as he disappeared back into the bedroom where he'd stashed his suitcase. Katie swung her legs gently back and forth while she waited for Howell to return to the kitchen. When he emerged Katie was disappointed to see him pulling a black t-shirt over his magnificent chest. His smile was huge as he walked over and put his hands on her waist.

"Probably not your best idea," he teased. Katie did the mature thing and stuck her tongue out at him. His only response was to smile wider and lift her gently off the counter. "They need me at an anomaly sight for a while, but I'll come back as soon as I can." He said before kissing her cheek softly and quickly walking out the door, leaving a very unhappy Katie behind.


	17. Chapter 16

**Alright, i just had to extend it so I hope you like it. There won't be too many more chapters in this story, but I do have a few one-shots and shorts racing around in my head. Enjoy!**

The door to Katie's flat closed firmly behind Howell, and he rested his weight against it with a sigh. Katie had been home for a week, and it seemed like the anomalies were out in full force. The worst one, for Howell anyway, had been the one on Katie's first day home.

_"Howell run!" Howell heard Connor's panicked voice in his ear. He turned to see an entire herd of prehistoric rhinos running straight for the anomaly, and he was inconveniently in between them and their target. The alley he was in gave few options for escape and he huffed out his displeasure._

_ "You've got to be kidding me," he grumbled as his feet started moving before his brain had even given the order. The cobblestones beneath him were actually vibrating from the force of the herd's stampede and Howell knew he was just barely staying ahead. _Think James, think! _he murmured to himself as his combat boot shod feet slapped against the ground. His eyes suddenly went wide as he remembered a small opening in the walls of the alley just before the anomaly, and he pushed a final burst of speed out of his tiring body. The herd was gaining on him as he ran and he knew that he only had a few seconds before they trampled him beneath their hooves._ _Just as the bull pulled up on his left, Howell threw himself into what he thought was some kind of outcropping and promptly tumbled into the frigid Thames. He surfaced, spitting out the brown water, to find the rest of the team grinning down at him._

_ "You know you're supposed to ask for time off before you go swimming right?" Becker said, not even trying to hide his amusement._

_ "Fuck off," Howell muttered the words muffled by the chattering of his teeth. Becker and another soldier fished him out, both men trying not to laugh as they escorted him to one of the SUVs to dry off and warm up._

_ "How's the water?" Connor asked as they walked past him and the locking device. Howell just made an obscene gesture and kept walking towards his change of clothes. He stripped of his shirt, not really caring if anyone was watching him, and dropped it on the street before pulling a dry one out of his pack. _

_ "It could be worse," Abby said coming up beside him. He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for the insistence that ending up in the water was better than being trampled to death. "At least no one got it on camera." She finished. Howell was about to say something when someone beat him to it._

_ "I did!" one of the soldiers shouted waving a video camera over his head. Howell groaned and saw Abby smile out of the corner of his eye._

_ "Never mind," she said, "Now it can't get any worse."_

_ "I'm never gonna live this down am I?" he asked her._

_ "Nope."_

Howell winced at the memory of the freezing water and interrupted conversation. If he was being honest, missing that conversation had been the worst part of the day, though taking a bath in the Thames hadn't been pleasant either. They hadn't had a chance to talk about what was going on between them since the first time Katie brought it up, an instance that was forever burned into his mind mostly because of the scandalous outfit she'd been wearing. He closed his eyes against the memories of what it had felt like to help her off the counter, all soft skin and lace. As the memories faded into the background of his memories Howell heard a faint thumping coming from the back of the flat, and instantly scenarios flooded his head. Including one that involved Katie in bed with another man, and that was not a situation he was even remotely willing to entertain. The sight that met him when he turned to corner into Katie's room was one that he hadn't expected. The little pixie of a medic was lying on the middle of her bed, bouncing a tennis ball against the ceiling.

"At least you're on the top floor," he found himself saying. She looked over at him in surprise, mid toss, and was promptly pelted in her temple by the ball. Howell winced, know it was basically his fault for distracting her.

"Sorry," he said waiting for a curse, or quite possibly a tennis ball, to be thrown at him.

"Want to make it up to me?" her response caught him by surprise.

"Come again?" he said. Katie smiled and shifted, causing Howell to notice that once again she wasn't wearing anything on her bottom half other than a pair of obscenely small lace panties. She'd taken to wearing those around the house and Howell honestly thought he was going to spontaneously combust at some point, soon.

"Get me out of this place," she said, "I am so bored, it's not even funny." Howell frowned, remembering how the doctor had warned her to take it easy for a while.

"I don't know Katie…" he started but was quickly stopped by the look in Katie's eye. It was the I'm about to do my kicked puppy look, one that Howell was a complete sucker for and Katie took full advantage of.

"Please?" she whispered. Howell caved instantly.

"Alright," he sighed, "get dressed." Katie squealed in excitement and whipped off her shirt, leaving her in just a matching sapphire blue lace bra and panty set. Howell spun around so fast he actually felt dizzy and had to hold onto the door jam to keep from falling over.

"That's just cruel," he muttered making his way back to the living room, as far from temptation as he could get. Five minutes later Katie emerged from her bedroom in a short wrap skirt and emerald green top. Howell took one look at her and knew it was going to be a long night.

Katie threw on her clothes as fast as she could, ecstatic at the prospect of spending any amount of time out of the flat. After two weeks of recovery time, the doctors had said that she could be a little more active, with an emphasis on a little. What she really wanted to do was have a short talk with Howell that preferably ended up with them in bed naked, but even she knew her body couldn't handle that yet. She giggled at the look on Howell's face when she'd pulled off her shirt, she didn't think she'd ever seen anyone move quite that fast. _Fine time for him to start playing the gentleman, _she thought to herself as she wrapped a short skirt around her waist. She'd found quickly that a skirt, especially a wrap around, was much easier to put on than a pair of pants when you have a broken leg. In truth she knew deep down Howell was a gentleman, though he did enjoy teasing her and had a relatively ribald sense of humor. She'd seen him go off on one of the ARC soldiers once when the other man had said something inappropriate about another female employee. The black eye had only lasted a month, but the attitude adjustment was still going strong four months later.

Once her top was on, she grabbed her crutches as swung out into the living room, where Howell stood with his back to the hallway.

"You gonna do an impression of a statue all night, or are we going somewhere?" she teased noticing his tense posture. He turned his smile to her and Katie felt herself melt just a little.

"We can go anywhere you want, within reason." he said. He must have noticed the smirk she knew had floated across her face.

"Calm down," she said moving slowly closer, "I was only going to suggest a movie." Howell smiled.

"Only if we go to dinner first," he said, "I'm not a cheap date." Katie couldn't help but laugh at the unexpected comment.

"Deal," she said, "race you to the door." She knew Howell was going to beat her, but it was fun to pout at him when he held the door open for her so she did it anyway.

Howell tried to keep a hold on a rather wobbly, and giggly, Katie as he kicked the door to the apartment closed behind them. They hadn't actually made it to the movies, having been waylaid when Katie had noticed a new pub only a few blocks from her home and had insisted they check it out. The food had been surprisingly good, wonderful actually, and it turned out the beer was home brewed. On the downside, Katie's Irish roots had come out and she was very quickly knocking down pints.

_"I think four's a good number," Howell said as he watched Katie finish off the dregs of yet another pint. He was amazed she was still upright at this point, seeing how she'd downed what seemed to be her weight in beer and they'd only been at the pub for a few hours. He grabbed her hand before she could signal the waiter for more._

_ "Hey," she said, her words slurring a bit, "You're ruining my fun." It was hard for Howell not to notice just how good she looked now that the bruises and cuts on her face had been given time to heal. _

_ "No," he said calmly, "I'm keeping you from waking up in the morning and wondering what the hell happened." He signaled to the waiter while he let her catch up to what he'd said. "Check please."_

_ "I don't want to go yet," she grumbled popping another fry into her mouth. Howell sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be easy._

_ "Honestly, I'm too tired to think straight and all I want to do is get some sleep." Katie was silent for a minute and Howell braced himself for the argument to come._

_ "Okay," Katie said softly, surprising the hell out of Howell._

Howell managed to kick to door shut without letting go of Katie. He had to admit that he was thoroughly enjoying the feel of her against him, but he wasn't going to push it. Especially when she was as drunk as she was.

"Let's get you to bed" he said leading her to the bedroom. The doctors had told Katie that walking was still at least a week off but she could stand on her own for short periods of time, though Howell hated leaving her alone. As soon as he was sure Katie was alright on her own Howell headed into the bathroom to change, not wanting to stay in the room while she changed. He turned to look at her one more time, to make sure she was okay, and was greeted with the sight of her skirt dropping to the floor. His head whipped around as fast as he could force it to, and he closed his eyes with a sigh. It was getting harder to be around her, and sleep next to her, when he had no idea where they stood. He changed quickly, wanting to get as much sleep as possible, and turned back to the closed bathroom door. He stopped with his hand on the door knob and rested his head against the white painted wooden door. His control was slipping, he knew that, he just didn't know how much longer he could be around Katie and still pretend. He had a feeling that it wouldn't be much longer before he had to bow out of her life, her private one at least. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for another night of delightful torment.

She was already under the covers when he opened the door and crossed the room to join her. The instant he was under the covers Katie migrated towards him in her sleep, laying her head on his shoulder and letting her hand rest in the middle of his bare chest. He nearly swallowed his tongue when he felt her bare breasts crush against his side and one of her bare legs, he assumed it was the unbroken one since he couldn't feel a cast, drifted up over his. He told himself that she was only naked because she was drunk and would most likely be very embarrassed come morning, but that didn't stop his body from acknowledging it. He sighed and closed his eyes, fighting his body's response at her being so close. She pulled even closer to him and the next thing he knew her hand was in his hair pulling his head down to hers. Her lips were insistent on his, and he deepened the kiss without thinking. The smooth leg that had been tormenting him just a few minutes ago moved up to wrap around his hips and pulled him into her so that every inch of them was touching. He reveled in the taste of her for a full minute before rational thought entered his brain, something he would have to curse at a later time, and he pulled back.

"Katie," he said raggedly, "we can't do this, you're drunk." Howell had to fight to keep his eyes from rolling back into his head as her hands roamed through his hair, sometimes tugging gently. She trailed kisses along his jaw until she reached his ear.

"I'm really not," she whispered sounding remarkably sober, her warm breath against his ear sending another shiver of pleasure down his spine, "Consider this my apology for making you wait so long." She nipped at the sensitive lobe of his ear, and this time his eyes did roll. His arms tightened around her and he heard her gasp in pleasure as his erection pressed against her core. With a muttered curse he rolled her onto her back, careful not to bump her broken leg, and took control. He crushed his lips to hers, growling his pleasure when she opened to him and their tongues began a mating dance of their own. Katie ran her hands over the bare expanse of his back, caressing and scratching in a way that had him helplessly grinding against her.

"If you want to stop, than stop me now," he told her roughly as he struggled to bring himself under control. Katie kept her eyes locked with his as she took one of his hands and laid it over one of her breasts, before pulling his head back down for an impassioned kiss. Howell squeezed the rounded globe and pinched the hardened nipple, eliciting a gasp from the woman already writhing beneath him. Her leg wrapped around his waist and her toes caught in the waistband of his pants, pulling them down until he was as naked as her. His lips left hers to trail down her throat until he could bury his face in the valley between her breasts, listening to her short gasps and moans had he went. He kissed and bit his way to the tip until he could draw it completely into his mouth, tormenting her with scraping teeth and gentle pulling. Her groan only served to fuel him to more action. His free hand drifted down between them and he slipped two fingers into her. She arched into him with a moan and he groaned against her breath when he felt how wet she was. A hand tugging at his hair brought his mouth away from her breast and back to her lips.

"No more teasing," she whispered against his lips, nipping at his bottom lip for emphasis. Giving in, he kissed her fiercely as he slid into her until he was seated so deeply he wasn't sure they could ever separate again. They both groaned at the feeling and soon all thoughts disappeared as they moved together, reaching for the release they both desperately needed. It wasn't long before Howell felt her clenching around him, and he collapsed against her as his own orgasm barreled through him.

It was a few moments before either of them could slow their breathing down enough to actually move. Howell rolled off Katie and pulled her to him so every inch of him was pressed against her back. He slowly drifted off to a contented sleep with the woman he loved wrapped in his arms.

"I love you," he heard her say softly, and he pressed a gently kiss to the back of her neck in resonance.

"I'll always love you." He said.


	18. Author's Note

**Just a quick author's note. I was planning on putting up the next chapter tonight, but apparently the universe decided that it was going to corrupt the entire file before I could get it backed up. So basically the entire story is unreadable, and while I can get back everything I've already posted, I have to rewrite the entire chapter I've been working on for the last week (it was already 2,000 words and counting). I'm not sure if I'm going to leave the story as is and just end on Katie and Howell finally getting together, or if I'll continue the story. Though if I leave it as is, there will be a one shot of Jess giving for the wait and thank you to everyone who reviewed the story. I'll either get the next chapter up ASAP, or the one shot.**


	19. Chapter 17

**Yay! I finally finished rewriting the chapter, and it's a long one. I hope you all like it and I will try to get another chapter up soon. I just want to give a huge thanks to Esmerelda Diana Parker, icannotbelieveijust, I-Can-Spell-Confusion-With-A-K, xYouMakeMeSmiiile**** and all the others who review on nearly every chapter. You guys are pretty much the only reason this story is still going. Enjoy!**

**Three months later**

Katie barely kept herself from slamming into the wall as she and the rest of the team rounded a tight corner at full speed. It was one of the many times Katie was supremely grateful to be out of her cast. Becker had gone running past her shouting that one of had gotten out of enclosure and had headed straight for the ops room. That single proclamation had the entire team racing towards Jess. Katie was just thankful she could keep up.

"The large creatures are still in their enclosures, but the camera in the small animal section is down." Katie swallowed hard at the image of the giant prehistoric spiders the team had captured a few days earlier. The one's Abby had just discovered were extremely poisonous and were now being housed in the small animal section. Judging by the look on Becker's face, he was thinking the same thing.

"Get someone down to the menagerie and tell us what the hell we're dealing with," he bit out from between clenched teeth.

"I'll go," a familiar voice from her left said. She snapped her head in that direction and was rewarded with one of her boyfriend's panty melting smiles. She hadn't even realized he'd joined the team until he spoke. Becker nodded at him and Howell gave her arm a light squeeze, their own silent message to be careful, and took off with a few men towards the menagerie. A chill settled over her as she imagined Howell rushing into the menagerie only to be met with a dozen of the fast and deadly spider like creatures. It was a big step forward from where their relationship had actually started.

_ The first thing that registered in Katie's mind when she woke was her nose brushing against the bare skin of Howell's chest as he breathed and the fact that she was just as naked as he was. Memories from the night before rushed into her mind, She burrowed farther into to his warmth when a slight breeze from the overhead fan brought goose bumps to her skin. Howell moaned softly as more of her bare skin pressed against pressed against his. Katie smiled wickedly against the soft skin of his chest and thought of the perfect way to wake him up. She started slowly kissing her way up his chest to his neck. Howell groaned in his sleep and unconsciously shifted towards her, making it easier for her to continue her path towards his lips._ _By the time Katie reached her target, Howell was on top of her again and Katie was raking her nails gently down his back. Then as suddenly as he'd responded he was gone. Katie opened her eyes to see Howell sitting on the edge of the bed with his head hanging._

_ "I'm sorry," it was said so softly that Katie almost didn't hear it, but she immediately knew what it was about. She inched closer, moving carefully to avoid hitting her injured leg. She put a hand on his shoulder and was surprised when he flinched away._

_ "James," she started confused at his reaction to her touch when just a few hours ago he'd reveled in it, a few times. Before she could say anything else, Howell slipped on the pants he'd warn the night before and basically bolted from the room. Katie crawled out of bed and snatched up Howell's discarded blue button down. She paused as she started after Howell to grab a fresh pair of panties from the laundry basket in the corner. It was a struggle to fit them over the cast, but after a short struggle she managed to put herself together._

_ Howell was in the kitchen, his head stuck deep into the fridge, when she exited the hallway. She approached him as quietly as possible, wanting some time to figure out what was bothering him. She pulled herself up onto the counter, finally making some noise so he would know that he wasn't alone anymore, and waited for him to turn around. After waiting about five minutes Katie had had enough._

_ "What's wrong?" She asked and saw the toned muscles of his back tense up._

_ "Do you remember anything about last night?" he asked without turning around, and that's when everything clicked for Katie. He thought she'd been too drunk last night to make her own decisions, and he felt guilty for taking advantage of her._

_ "I…" she started, but was quickly interrupted by Howell._

_ "I messed everything up didn't I," he said quietly. The regret and pain in his voice made Katie ache to wrap her arms around him. It took Katie a minute to realize he was still talking._

_ "… it couldn't be that hard right?" he asked looking at her for the first time since she'd entered the room. Katie had no idea what he'd been talking about, but she could definitely read the body language he was giving off as he took in what she was wearing. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed and a single bead of sweat dripped enticingly down the center of his cheats. Wanting to put him at ease, and because she was dying to touch him again, Katie crooked a single finger at him as if she was tugging him over via an invisible string._

_ "I'm stuck," she said, a sinister plan forming quickly in her mind as she indicated the counter she was sitting on. She could almost see the gears turning in Howell's head as he steeled himself against being near her. As soon as his hands touched her waist Katie cupped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him flush against her, so he was standing between her legs._

_ "I remember everything about last night," she whispered and felt a shiver race through him as her breath fanned against his ear, "and I want to do it again, and again." Before he could say anything in return she pulled his lips to hers. For a moment he stilled, but when she lightly nipped at his lower lip he gave up resisting._

_ It was five minutes at least before they finally parted for air, both of them panting for breath. A sly, seductive smile spread across her face._

_ "You have the day off right?" she asked and shrieked in delight when Howell scooped her up and carried her straight to the bedroom for a repeat of the previous night._

"Are we sure it's heading for the ops room?" Becker's tense voice brought her mentally back to the task at hand and she barely resisted the urge to fan herself for some relief for the sensual heat coursing through her. She spared a glance at the young tech, who was looking a little flustered, and nudged him when he didn't answer right away. He looked at her in surprise before realizing Becker was talking to him. The blush that spread over his tan face made her want to laugh, but she smothered it with a cough. He fumbled with his tablet for a moment.

"Yes Sir," he said his eyes glued to the screen, the thermal cameras are picking up something small and fast heading that way." Without a word the team sped up, their EMDs sweeping the walls as they made their way forward. Katie found herself next to Becker and heard him trying to raise Jess on the coms.

"Jess, come in Jess. Damn it! Why isn't she answering?" his voice was tense and full of worry.

"I'm sure she's fine. They're both fine." she said realizing that he was probably just as worried about the baby as much as the mother. Becker spared her a pained glance as their feet ate up the last of the distance between the team and the door. They paused at the door, making sure the team was ready for the breach. With a nod to Katie, Becker burst through the door with the team right on his heels.

Nearly everyone in the ops room jumped in surprise, and Katie let out a small sigh of relief when she saw Jess slowly getting up from her chair. Katie and the other soldiers fanned out across the room, their weapons constantly sweeping the walls and ceiling for any sign of the incursion, while Becker headed straight for his heavily pregnant wife.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, his eyes sweeping over her for any injuries. His hands rubbed the bare skin of her arms in a soothing gesture, one that Katie had a feeling was more for him than Jess. A fact that Jess seemed to catch as well, since her hands went to settle on his chest.

"I'm fine," she said, "but what's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know." The familiar dry tone caught everyone's attention rather quickly. None of the soldiers patrolling the room took their attention off the room, but anyone watching could tell they were listening to every conversation in the room. Katie made one last sweep of the room before focusing on the conversation going on in the middle of the room.

"Well?" Lester's tone cut through her musings once again. Becker turned to face him without releasing the hold he had on his wife's waist.

"We had a report of an escaped creature heading this way," he said pointing to the young man still fiddling with the tablet in his hands, "We just don't know which one."

Katie saw something move out of the corner of her eye and she turned to gauge if it presented any danger, only to suppress a smile when she realized what it was.

Something landed softly on Katie's shoulder, making her raise her EMD in preparation, only to breath a silent sigh of relief when she saw it was Howell's hand and not some creature with a taste for human blood. Howell's eyes were glued to the same thing that had captured her attention a moment ago. She was enraptured for a moment by the sheer force of the emotions that ran through her every time he was near. It still amazed her that she had kept him at such a distance for so long.

"Is that…?" Howell whispered into her ear and Katie just nodded cutting his question off. Jess appeared just as confused as the rest of the people working in the ops room

"Sir, I think I know where the creature is," Katie says, drawing everyone's attention amazed expression. All except the soldiers, who once again start sweeping the walls of the ops room with their EMDs. Lester raised an eyebrow in expectation. Katie simply pointed to where the creature was hidden under the ADD, making Becker instantly shove Jess behind him protectively. Within seconds at last fifteen soldiers were surrounding the ADD with their guns pointed at the creature hidden underneath. Katie fought to keep from laughing, and could feel Howell's chest shaking from similar efforts, as Rex stuck his head out from under the ADD with a cheerful chirp. Becker and the other soldiers relaxed, though some actually looked a little pissed off at the effort and stress they'd been put through for nothing. Lester sighed his frustration as Jess giggled behind Becker.

"Wonderful, I run a bloody petting zoo." He said dryly as he threw his arms up in defeat. Katie stifled a giggle of her own against Howell, who was in the same boat as she was. _At least this job's never boring._

**Three months later**

Katie tossed her backpack over one shoulder and closed her locker for the day. She glanced at the clock on the wall, wondering if Howell was already waiting for her at the exit to the parking garage. He'd stayed with her during her medical leave and simply never left, which she had to admit she didn't mind. Her feet were out the door before she could even order them too. She was looking forward to a long hot soak in the tub to relax her exhausted muscles, and maybe she could get Howell to join her. That thought had her moving even faster towards the elevators. It turned out she wasn't the only one eager to go home.

"Jess," Katie called when she spotted her friend and Becker walking down the hall of the ARC. Her friend was walking rather slowly, not that that really surprised her since she was nearing the end of her pregnancy. As petite as she was, Jess' belly made her look a bit like she had a beach ball hidden under her dress and yet she still managed to look beautiful. Jess turned at the sound of her voice, as did Becker, and a wide smile broke over her face.

The elevator came to a violent stop, catching Katie and Jess off guard. Becker lunged for Jess, who's high heels mixed with her protruding belly made her the most unstable, and managed to catch her before she could hit the ground.

"Thanks," she said giving her husband a weak smile, her hand glued to her swollen belly. Katie simply brushed it off as a pregnancy thing. When Becker moved towards the emergency phone, Katie swooped in next to her friend.

"I told you heels were a bad idea during your last trimester," she teased. All she got for her efforts was a forced, but quiet laugh. Katie frowned at the change in her normally perky friend and put a hand on her shoulder, which made the younger woman turn around.

"You okay?" Katie asked, honestly concerned about her friend. Jess nodded, her hand still rubbing circles on her belly.

"I'm fine, really," she said, "Just a little woozy from the stop." Her eyes implored Katie to just leave it alone, so Katie made a mental note to keep an eye on her and turned her attention to Becker. The SAS Captain was standing by the emergency phone, waiting for someone to answer as he kept glancing worriedly at his wife. Katie stepped over to him and spoke in a low tone.

"She'll be calm if you stay calm," she said earning a surprised, and somewhat offended, look from Becker.

"I..." he started, but Katie interrupted him.  
"Normally you'd be the last person I'd say this too, but its Jess." Becker glanced over to where Jess leaned against the metal wall of the elevator and gave a small nod that only Katie could see. Katie lifted a hand to point to the phone in Becker's hand.

"Anything yet?" She asked though her eyes were still on Jess. Becker sighed, shaking his head, and replaced the phone in its hook with a little more force than necessary.

"Nothing," he said pulling out his cell phone, "Who's still here?" He flicked through his contact list until Katie handed him her phone.

"Call Howell," she said keeping her eyes glued to Jess, who at the moment seemed to be in a pain, but trying to hide it, "he's down by the parking garage." She left Becker to make the call and was quickly next to Jess.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, "and don't lie to me Jess." She finished before Jess could say anything. Jess sighed.

"It's just a back ache," she said softly, "nothing to worry about." Katie frowned.

"How long has this been going on?" she asked Jess quietly sparing a quick glance at Becker, who was engrossed in his phone conversation. Jess frowned as well, her eyes moving quickly as her brain accessed her stored memories.

"Around five this morning when I got up to go to the bathroom." Jess's voice was tight with pain and it was etched on her face as well.

"You've had a back ache for nearly thirteen hours and you didn't tell anyone?" Katie asked, amazed at the seemingly fragile girl's perseverance. Jess just shrugged.

"It comes and goes," she said her face relaxing a little, as if the pain had simply disappeared, "I didn't think it was that big a deal." Katie closed her eyes for a moment to gather herself, dreading the answers to her next few questions.

"Has the pain been getting worse?" she asked. Jess looked at her in surprise and nodded. Katie sighed.

"And the time in between bouts of pain has decreased right?" The look of surprise on Jess' face increased.

"How did you…" Jess gasped in the middle of her sentence, "No no no, you don't mean." Katie nodded.

"I think you're in labor Jess."


	20. Chapter 18

**Another chapter in the Howell and Katie saga. I hope everyone likes it and is ready for a Jecker Baby!**

Jess started breathing heavily and Katie was worried she was going to pass out from hyperventilation if she didn't do something. Throwing a glance over her shoulder Katie angled herself to block Jess from Becker's view. The last thing she needed right now was an over protective, concerned husband. She tilted Jess' head up so they were eye to eye.

"Jess," she said keeping her voice calm, "we don't know for sure yet. Give me a second." Katie kept her hands rubbing up and down her friend's arms in a soothing manner. She watched as Jess' breathing slowed and she nodded.

"Okay," Katie said keeping her voice low, "How far apart are the contractions?" She gave up on pretending it wasn't labor and stuck with the technical terms. Jess bit her lip, a familiar tell that she was nervous, and Katie instantly knew that she wasn't going to like the answer.

"Two or three minutes," Jess whispered, her fear evident in her voice.

"Do you feel like you need to push?" Katie asked Jess, only to be met by a confused look.

"This is real isn't it? I'm gonna have the baby right here," Jess' voice was quiet and full of fear, making Katie wish there was something she could do to make this easier for Jess. She just nodded knowing that there was little that she could do, other than be as professional as possible.

"I'm gonna get Becker alright?" Jess nodded and Katie gave her shoulder a squeeze in support, "it'll be okay." Katie said while helping Jess get as comfortable as she could on the floor.

When she looked back over at Becker, who had thankfully remained oblivious to the situation his wife was in, he was talking to Howell on her cell phone. At least she assumed if was Howell, since he was the only one she knew was still in the building.

"Becker," she called over her shoulder, "We need you over here." Becker looked at her and held the phone against his chest.

"Can it wait a moment?" he asked not impolitely. Katie sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Only if you don't want to see your baby born." If it hadn't been such a serious situation the look of utter shock and terror on his face would have been hilarious. The clatter of her cell phone on the cold metal floor as it fell from his suddenly slack fingers.

"Wait, what, how?" he babbled either oblivious, ignoring, Howell's concerned voice coming from the phone's speakers. Jess giggled, a bit hysterically, making the others look at her in surprise.

"Do I really need to give you a lesson on where babies come from?" Becker actually blushed a little at Jess' question, and Katie would have laughed if she wasn't focused on getting all four of them out of there.

"No… well, I just…" he started

"Becker, phone now," Katie said, interrupting any further rambling. Becker seemed to shake himself out of his stupor long enough to hand her the phone.

"Thanks," she said, "Did you and Jess take a Lamaze class?" Katie was surprised at how relieved she was when he nodded slowly. "Perfect! Can you go air with her?" Becker was next to Jess before the words were completely out of Katie's mouth. He slipped in behind Jess and wrapped his arms around her, his palms flat against the expanse of her belly. Katie smiled at the sight and put the phone to her ear before quickly pulling it away again when Howell started yelling in her ear.

"Howell...," she started, but either Howell couldn't hear her or was beyond listening, "James!" she finally shouted, which worked surprisingly well as he went silent very quickly.

"Hold on a second okay?" she said quickly, hoping Howell would get the message without asking questions, but when does that ever actually happen.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked, making Katie roll her eyes.

"Just hold on a second alright," Katie waited for his confirmation before setting the phone down and turned to Jess, who was now leaning back against Becker's chest.

"There's one more thing I have to do before we'll know if we're delivering here or not," Katie said, silently wishing to any gods she could think of that she didn't have to do this. Even Jess looked a little wary at the tone in Katie's voice, but there was a look of trust in the younger woman's eyes that nearly brought tears to her own.

"What is it?" Jess asked.

"I have to see how if you're crowning?" Katie winced at the thought.

"Why isn't she screaming?" Becker asked suddenly making both women look at him in surprise. "Don't women scream when they have babies?"

"Only in the movies sweetie," Jess said patting his knee, before suddenly putting it in a death grip as another contraction started and Becker winced from the force.

"How did that rate on a scale of one to ten," Katie asked, instantly in paramedic roll again.

"Oh, just a fifteen," Jess said with a tiny smile, while Becker looked like he was going to be sick. Katie chuckled, used to the morbid humor that most medics used to get themselves through the hell they faced on a daily basis.

"I need you to pull your knees up and spread your legs," Katie wished she could say It in a more delicate way, but getting everything done fast was more important than being politically correct.

"Jesus," Jess said, doing as Katie asked, "One drink and suddenly you think I'm easy." This time Katie laughed out loud.

Katie draped her jacket over Jess' raised knees and closed her eyes in mental preparation of what she was going to have to do.

"I love you Jess, but I really never wanted to get to know you this well." She said as she pulled on a pair of medical gloves, they weren't sterile gloves but her choices were rather limited at the moment. It wasn't like she carried around an OB kit in her bag.

"I'm not any happier about it than you are," Jess said roughly as another contraction made her gasp in pain. Katie help Jess take off her panties and grabbed a pen light from her bag. She wasn't really happy with what she saw.

"Becker give me your jacket," she ordered and Becker quickly complied. She grabbed the phone off the floor and used her shoulder to hold it against her ear, taking the jacket from Becker as she did.

"James, we need a medical team at the elevator now. We're gonna have a baby here in about five minutes."

Howell took off at a run for the medical wing while still on the phone with Katie.

"Which elevator are you in?" he asked, surprised that he could still talk with how fast he was running.

"Down the hall from the locker room," she said and swore, which caught Howell off guard, "the elevator by in the ops room is down. I should have known this could happen." Howell skidded to a stop outside the ops room when he saw that Lester was still in his office.

"It's not your fault, just hold on for a sec." he told her taking the phone away from his ear for the first time since he'd picked up. He thundered into Lester's office without slowing down or knocking. Lester looked up from where he was sifting through papers and sighed.

"What now?" he asked returning his attention to the paperwork on his desk.

"Katie, Becker and Jess are stuck in the elevator and Jess is in labor," he gasped out quickly as his running finally caught up with him. At his pronouncement Lester was rendered speechless for a moment, before he recovered.

"Get medical there, I'll get someone to fix the bloody thing." Howell took that as his dismissal and bolted for the door again. As he ran he did his best to reassure Jess, and what he assumed was a pretty freaked out Becker, through his girlfriend.

"Tell Jess I'm heading to medical and that Lester is getting someone to get you guys out." He said, relieved that he was getting closer to the medical wing. Katie might be fine, but he was worried about Jess too. He couldn't imagine how she felt trapped in an elevator and about to have a baby, or how Becker must be feeling.

"Thanks," she said quietly. Voices in the background of her phone had Howell straining to hear what was being said. Luckily he didn't have to wait long before Katie clued him in.

"She's crowning, I have to go." Katie said quickly. Howell knew what crowning was so he guessed that she was going to go catch the baby, but he still frowned.

"Shouldn't she be screaming?" he asked.

"Men are idiots," she sighed before hanging up on him. It was the perfect timing too, because he'd just reached door to the medical wing. He grabbed the first person he saw, and luckily it turned out to be a doctor judging by the woman's I.D.

"We need a medical team to the elevator in corridor 3," he said quickly, once again fighting for breath and wondering why the hell he suddenly felt so out of shape. The doctor spun into action with a speed that would make any soldier envious, shouting orders to nurses and medics nearby.

"What happened?" she asked Howell who had been admiring the display of efficiency.

"Three people are stuck in one of the elevators, and one of the women is having a baby." He said.

"As in delivering right now?" the doctor asked in surprise. Howell looked at her, a little confused himself.

"Um… Yeah," he said.

"We're not equipped for that," she mumbled and Howell had to force himself not to swear. Unfortunately he failed.

"What the fuck do you mean, not equipped?" he bit out.

"We're basically set up like one big trauma center," she said, 'But we'll get help here as fast as we can." With that final thought the doctor set off to do whatever it was she needed to do.

"Katie is not going to like this," he muttered to himself as he dialed her number.

"Thanks for letting me know," Katie told Howell after he finished filling her in on the newest complication, "No I have a med kit already, we'll be alright until the cavalry gets here. Yeah I love you too." She hung up and turned to the expectant parents sitting on the cold floor of the elevator with a small smile. Jess looked terrified, not that Katie could really blame her, but determined and Becker looked about ready to keel over. Katie had a feeling it was less of the fact that he was going to be a father within the next ten minutes, and more to do with Jess being in pain.

"You ready Jess?" she asked pulling a clean workout shirt from her pack, silently thanking her lucky stars that she hadn't felt like working out earlier, so she'd have something to wrap the baby in. Katie laid the shirt on Jess' stomach and knelt at her feet, carefully positioned so she could easily catch the baby.

"Alright," she said locking eyes with Jess for a minute, "I want you to push with the next contraction okay?" Jess nodded, biting her lower lip in fear or to keep from crying. Becker had his arms wrapped around Jess still and had buried his face into the crook of her neck. Katie could just barely hear his voice, but she could tell Jess was relaxing a bit so she assumed Becker was trying to comfort her as best he could. A minute later Jess started pushing with a small cry of pain that had Becker wincing and placing a kiss against her neck for support.

"Head's out," Katie said as she wiped blood and amniotic fluid from the baby's mouth and nose, "Once where past the shoulders, it should be a breeze." Seconds later another forceful push had the baby sliding out while Katie angled the shoulders to make it easier. Jess burst into tears and Becker let out a huge sigh of relief as the baby's cries filled the small space of the elevator.

"You've got a girl," Katie said with a huge smile as she tied and cut the cord. She had the healthy looking girl cleaned off and settled onto the waiting shirt in seconds, where the baby was immediately wrapped up tightly. Jess was still crying as she looked at her daughter for the first time and Becker watched in awe when the baby wrapped a tiny hand around one of his fingers. Katie couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Jess," she said, hating to draw the woman's attention away from her family but it was important, "We have to deliver the placenta next." She said laying a hand on Jess' belly to feel for any contractions. She found it incredibly entertaining the way Becker blanched at the mention of the placenta.

"How long…" Jess stopped short and stiffened at the same time Katie did. They both stared at the spot where Katie's hand rested firmly against Jess' midsection.

"Is that supposed to happen?" she whispered.

"Becker, take the baby," Katie told him tightly. Becker did just that with a frown.

"What's going on?" he asked Katie who was gently pressing down on Jess' belly.

"I have no idea," she said and froze as she felt the fluttering against her hand again. "Shit."

"I'm not just imagining that am I?" Jess asked, fear once again. Becker held his daughter carefully with one arm and wrapped the other around his wife.

"What the hell is going on?" his voice was tight with fear and frustration, and his eyes were pleading her to give them something.

"I think there's another baby." She told them.


	21. Chapter 19

**Sorry it took so long. When you work 7 days a week, getting sick means it takes forever to get better. Enjoy the babies!**

Two sets of eyes, one brown and one blue, stared at her in shock.

"You're kidding," Becker said his eyes darting between Jess' stomach and Katie, "That's not possible." Katie ignored him as she continued to feel for the second baby she thought to be in Jess' womb. There was a familiar feeling lump under her hand and she grabbed Becker's free hand. His eyes widened when she placed it directly in place of hers.

"That is definitely a head," she said to Jess, since Becker was glancing between the little girl already resting contently in his arms and the still unborn baby under his palm.

"Oh God! We really are having two." he said, going so frighteningly pale that Katie was worried he was going to pass out, finally looking back at his wife. Jess' eyes went wide and started to fill with tears. Thankfully the tears seemed to pull Becker out of his shock and he put a comforting arm around Jess.

"How could we not know? How could the doctors not know?" Becker moved back to sit next to her and wrapped his free arm back around her shoulder. Jess gasped as she seemed to think of something else. "We only have things for one baby! Where is this one going to sleep? What is it going to wear? What..."

"Jess stop," Katie said firmly trying to snap Jess out of her hysterics and succeeding, "Focus on getting the baby out. You can freak out about logistics later okay?" Jess nodded slowly, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. "How are the contractions?"

"Weaker," Jess said, and Katie noticed that her hand had returned to rubbing soothing circles on her belly, "But they're still there." Katie shrugged off her jacket and laid it across Jess' stomach like she had done with the shirt.

"We're gonna start pushing with the next contraction, alright?" Katie asked. Jess nodded, with a look of fierce determination on her face that she'd never seen before and neither had Becker judging by the look of awe and surprise on his face. Jess sat with her back against Becker's chest again, though both parents maneuvered around the tiny bundle that was their oldest child.

"You ready to meet you little brother or sister Paige?" Jess asked the little girl nestled safely in Becker's name. Katie remembered Jess saying they were going to name the baby, if it was a girl, after the late Dr. Sarah Page and couldn't help but smile at the use of her last name rather than the first.

"Any ideas for the next baby's name," she asked.

"Only that he'd be Michael if it's a boy," Jess glanced up at Becker who had a slightly tense smile on his face, "We only picked out one girl name."

"Just do me a favor and don't name her Katie," Katie said with a smile. The short burst of laughter from the exhausted mother was exactly what she was hoping, but her smile disappeared when she saw Jess wince from the next contraction.

"Alright start pushing," she said and got ready to catch the next baby. Jess pushed once and Katie was shocked when the baby was suddenly in her hands. She'd been expecting it to be a quick delivery, but not that quick.

"Girl," she croaked out as she looked at the tiny girl cradled in the palms of her hands. She was easily half the size of her sister, and was damningly quiet. Her vivid blue eyes were open, but her limbs moved sluggishly showing just how weak she was.

"Why isn't she crying?" Becker's tense question shook her from her daze and she quickly detached the tiny girl from the umbilical cord. Very gently she place the baby in her jacket, ignoring the sharp gasps from Becker and Jess.

"Jess, you need to take off your sweater to keep her closer to your body heat." Katie told her, ignoring Becker's question as best she could, and Jess wasted no time in stripping off the thin cardigan and holding her tiny daughter close. She sobbed openly, obviously terrified for her little girl, while Becker fought back tears of his own and held his family tightly.

"I'll call James and get the ETA on the medics," she told them as she picked up her phone, Katie let out a shuddering breath and hit Howell's speed dial.

Howell picked up his phone before the first ring had even finished, correctly assuming it was his trapped girlfriend.

"We're on our way." He said glancing at the civilian paramedics running along with him. He could feel his teeth grinding together as they were forced to take the long way to the elevator so they didn't risk exposure to the civilians.

"There're two," Katie said quietly, catching Howell completely off guard.

"Uh, two of what?" Howell said, feeling just a stupid for not instantly knowing what she was talking about.

"Babies."

"Two babies," his shout echoed through the halls drawing the attention of the medics around him. He flushed a little when he realized that everyone was suddenly looking at him.

"Everyone okay?" he asked, more than a little anxious to hear about his friends and the newest additions to their family. His face fell into a frown when he heard her sigh gently.

"The oldest, Paige, looks healthy, but the youngest is really tiny and needs help quick." Howell closed his eyes and really hoped that Katie had said that quietly enough that neither if the parents stuck in the elevator with her had heard it.

"We're on our way, just hold tight okay." he said.

"Just hurry please," she said and Howell could almost see her glancing over her shoulder nervously. "I can't..., I can't watch her die."

"We're almost there," he said closing his eyes against the image of a tiny lifeless body. He hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket as he turned to the paramedic in charge.

"Did you hear any of that?" he asked since the medic had a slightly confused look on his face.

"Yeah, but no one told us about twins."

"They didn't tell us either," Howell said flatly, "The parents didn't even know."

"Whatever, let's just get there," another medic said from behind them and they resumed their sprint down the halls.

"Do you know anything about their condition?" the lead medic, Howell didn't bother to get his name because he honestly didn't care at the moment, asked him.

"Just that the second baby is really small and isn't doing too well," he said as they rounded a corner. The silence that followed his statement caught him by surprise and he glanced at the medic who had an incredulous look on his face.

"That's it?" he nearly shrieked. Howell would have laughed at the girly sound if it hadn't been such a tense situation. "You didn't ask about APGAR or respirations or anything?" Howell turned on the smaller man, who instantly backpedalled to avoid running into him.

"I'm a soldier," he stated, "not a medic, and sure as hell not a doctor, so I don't know what half those things are. Now stop complaining and get to work saving those kids."

By the time Katie turned back around Becker had schooled his features a bit, but there was nothing the hardened soldier could do to disguise the worry in his eyes no matter how hard he tried.

"How far out are they?" he asked his voice coarse with emotion. Katie was about to answer when she realized his arms were empty, she did a double take and saw that Jess had both girls resting close to each other on her chest and was gazing down at them with a mix of adoration and sadness. Katie knew where the sadness came from and wished she could reassure her friend that both her daughters would be fine, but she refused to give false hope.

"They both got restless until we put them together," Becker said gently, correctly interpreting her confusion. Katie snapped her eyes away from the heart wrenching sight and stared at Becker, who had already moved his gaze back to his suddenly larger family.

"There're only a couple minutes out," Katie told him, hoping it would help them both.

"Does she have that long?" Becker and Katie both looked at Jess in surprise when she voiced the soft question. Becker immediately buried his face into the side of his wife's neck, and Katie could tell he was fighting off tears. Jess tilted her head to rest against his and brought her hand up to cup the back of his head, her fingers burrowing deeply into his hair. Katie too the time to look over the two girls and was surprised to find them both looking relatively good.

"I think she will," Katie said honestly and was rewarded with a glimmer of hope reflecting in Jess' tear filled eyes. Jess was about to answer when they heard knocking at the elevator door. Within a few seconds Becker managed to detangle himself and stride over to the door in full soldier mode. It was around that time that Katie's phone beeped with a new text.

_**We're outside, can you open the door?~ James**_

She sent a quick reply and shoved the phone back into her pocket.

"Becker we need to get the door open," she said making her way over to help him. They each grabbed a side of the door and pulled with all their strength. After a tense minute the doors slid open revealing a relieved looking Howell. His head was the only thing they could see through the small space left by the open doors. It looked like they had gotten stuck between floors.

"You guys ready to get out of here?" he asked with a smirk, and it was all Katie could do to keep from kissing him right there. One of the medics piped up from behind Howell before she could say anything, something that annoyed the couple.

"Why wouldn't they be?" He stuck his head around Howells and looked Katie up and down oblivious to the fact that the large man next to him was basically vibrating with contained rage. "Hey hot stuff wanna let me rescue you." The eyebrow waggled that accompanied the pick-up line was comical, but Katie just found herself even more pissed off.

"You the medic in charge?" she asked him coolly. His smug smile faltered for a second and his eyes flicked to behind him.

"No."

"Thank God," she said, "You mind finding me someone who can actually do their job. He disappeared grumbling something about women not knowing their place, quickly followed by a yelp of pain which Katie assumed was cause by Howell smacking him, and was quickly replaced by a man with a more serious expression.

"We'll get the babies out first," he said simply to which Katie simply nodded. She grabbed the sleeve of Becker's shirt and dragged him over to a suddenly very happy Jess.

"I take it we're getting out of here?" Jess asked, once again smiling her brilliant smile.

"Well," Katie said hesitantly, knowing that Jess and Becker weren't going to like what was going to happen next, "They'll get the girls out first and Becker will go with them while you and I wait here." Becker was the first one to react.

"I won't leave her here," he said firmly, though his gaze holding steady on his daughters showed how torn he was. Katie put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"We can't move her yet, especially not trying to haul her through that tiny thing," she said pointing at the small space that was providing an escape hatch for Becker and his girls, "And the girls need to get to a hospital, with a parent." Katie could tell he was still unsure of what to do, but it was decided for him when Jess spoke.

"It's okay Becker, you need to go protect them," she said, "We'll be out soon. It's not like the lift is going to send us plummeting to our deaths."

"Let's not jinx this Jess," Katie said as her eyes went wide, she was not a fan of enclosed spaces or falling and the idea of them happening together was not something she was willing to entertain. Jess laughed a little and pulled Becker to her for a quick kiss.

"Go," she said before giving the smallest girl a kiss and handing her to Becker, who immediately rushed her to where the medics were waiting. Katie sat on the cold metal floor with Jess and watched as the tiny bundle was placed into Howell's steady hands. Becker was next to them a second later and Paige got the same goodbye from her mother before being handed to her father.

"They'll be fine," he said softly as he walked over to the doors and Katie wasn't sure if he was trying to convince them or himself. Howell's hands came down once again and lifted Paige up and handed her to the medics, before reaching down to give Becker a hand. Becker hesitated looking over at Jess until she made a shooing gesture and he nodded. As soon as he disappeared Jess let out a sigh of relief.

"They're safe," she said.

"So are we," Katie replied, "We're just stuck." Instead of answering Jess simply slumped over and her head hit Katie shoulder.

"Jess?"


	22. Chapter 20

**Yes I know it's short, but I'm having a serious case of writer's block and I wanted to get something up. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer. Now back to the story. Is Jess okay or is there another patient heading for the ICU? Enjoy!**

Katie shook Jess a bit, nervous about her sudden collapse, and was surprised when Jess batted at her hand.

"Wake me up when they get us out of here," she grumbled softly and Katie couldn't help but laugh

"I'm guessing you're a little tired," She teased the new mother. Jess snorted softly, a sound Katie had rarely heard her make.

"And sore," she said with a groan, still not lifting her head off Katie's shoulder, "Why would any woman call this a beautiful and wonderful event?"

"Because they're so high on pain meds they can't say anything else." Jess laughed tiredly and Katie joined in after a few seconds.

"Hey, if you're having this much fun than can we go to lunch for a while?" Howell's voice echoed in the small space, just making the two trapped women laugh harder.

"Do that and you're so sleeping on the couch for at least a month." Katie shot back, much to Jess' amusement.

"Alright, alright, we'll get you out in a second." He grumbled, though Katie could tell from his tone that it was just him being playful.

"You should make him sleep on the couch for taking so long," Jess muttered from her place on Katie's shoulder. The fire haired medic laughed and felt a rush of gratefulness to her boyfriend for distracting Jess from the fact that her newborn daughters were on their way to the ER. Katie could feel Jess shifting restlessly next to her and knew that the distraction hadn't lasted long enough.

"How long before we can get to the hospital?" Jess asked in a small voice. Katie sighed, knowing there was no way to avoid the conversation.

"I don't know," she said putting an arm around her frightened friend. "We can call Becker and have him keep us updated if you want."

"He left his phone," she said simply pointing to the black duffle bag laying a few feet away.

"Shi-," Katie was interrupted when the elevator jerked roughly.

"Sorry," came Howell voice from outside the door, "One of the techs fiddled a little too hard with the break system."

"Just don't drop us and we'll be fine." Katie said with a nervous smile. Her heart was still racing from the short drop. She looked at Jess and a thought leapt to her mind, it was such an obvious solution that she was surprised she didn't think of it earlier.

"I'll be right back," she told Jess, gently helping her lie down, using the only clean jacket left as a pillow. She walked over to where she could talk to the frantically working rescue crew and looked out through the small gap.

"Howell," she called, somewhat softly. Howell's face popped into view within seconds, a look of concern plastered on his face.

"Everything okay?" he asked looking her up and down for injuries.

"I'm fine," she said shaking her head slightly to ease his concern, "Becker left his phone here, and Jess needs to know what's going on, so can you go with him?" She bit her lip when she saw the hesitation rolling in his eyes. "Please? Jess really needs it." With a quick nod the decision was made.

Howell left the elevator at a run to catch up to a still stunned looking Becker down the hall. He was staring at the medics who were shouting medical terms that neither of the soldiers could actually understand. Howell set a hand on the older man's shoulder which, much to his surprise, garnered no reaction.

"Becker," he said, to which Becker turned his head to look at him, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Becker said nodding, "I'm good." Howell honestly doubted that Becker was talking to him. Looking at his friend's pale face, Howell pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Katie before he slung an arm around his friend pushing him forward. He only got a few feet before Becker stopped again.

"I'm gonna be sick," he said before sprinting to the nearest trash can. Howell winced in sympathy as he listened to Becker heave, remembering the few times he'd gotten drunk enough to throw up and it wasn't pleasant. He awkwardly patted Becker's back, not exactly sure what to say to comfort the shaken soldier.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked as soon as the older man had finished, a little worried that his C.O. was going to snap at him.

"Not in the least," the Captain admitted, much to the surprise of Howell. He felt his sympathy rise for the other man's situation. Becker's undisguised eyes were filled with confusion and fear. It was a look that Howell had never seen in him before.

"They have to be okay," Becker said absently, catching Howell off guard.

"Let's get the girls to the hospital," he said, helping Becker stand again so they could catch up to the medical team who was already down the hall. Becker was silent as they followed the gurney holding his two newborns. By the time they climbed into the back of the ambulance behind the medics, who weren't too happy about Howell being there but didn't want to piss off two SAS soldiers, Becker had regained some of his color. He even smiled when the smallest girl started crying for the first time after the medics had given her oxygen. It was a soft cry, but it was a cry all the same. Both men let out a sigh of relief that they hadn't realized they were holding. The medic looked over at them and smiled.

"They're looking good so far." Howell sent off a quick text to Katie, before settling back for the ride to the hospital.


	23. Chapter 21

**Yes this is the last chapter, and I may not post anything new for a while. (I want to work on my novel for a bit) But I already have ideas in mind, including a Covenant fic if anyone's interested, so fear not. BTW thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited me as an author, or just a story. I hope everyone enjoys!**

Two weeks later Katie knocked on the door to Jess and Becker's flat with the take out she'd promised she'd bring over. Since both Paige and her little sister Maya, named after Jess' maternal grandmother, had been released from the young parents hadn't had a moment's rest. Katie, Howell and the other's tried to help out when they could, which is why Katie was about two hours early for the welcome home party for the girls. It had been rough on Jess and Becker when the girls had still been in the hospital. Paige was fine, but the doctors had hesitantly requested that she stay in the NICU with Maya until the younger girl had healed since she seemed to do better when she could reach out and touch her sister. After a short discussion the terrified parents had agreed, and soon after became a near permanent fixture in the NICU. Even though Maya had only been released from the hospital a few days ago, Katie and Abby had been planning the party for weeks as a way of keeping Jess and Becker's hopes up during the two weeks their youngest daughter's fate was uncertain.

_Katie watched as Jess shifted in her hospital bed, her eyes glued to the door, while Becker slept in the chair next to her._ _Howell was fast quickly nodding off in the small window seat and Katie had the urge to join him, but she still felt like the girls were her patients and she didn't plan on sleeping until she found out their condition._

_ "Staring at the door isn't going to make time go any faster," she told Jess, keeping her voice low so she wouldn't wake the boys. The younger woman shot her a glare that she staunchly ignored as she moved to sit next to her on the bed. Jess took her gaze away from the door for a moment to look where her hands were twisting in the hospital issue blanket. Katie tugged the blanket away from Jess before she could tear it apart, and slipped her hand in place of the cloth._

_ "I can go talk to the nurses if you want," she offered, to which Jess looked up hopefully, "But there're no guarantees that they'll tell me anything." Jess nodded emphatically and Katie took that as her cue to go find the nurses. It didn't take her long to find the nurses, but like she'd expected they wouldn't tell her anything about the girls. Other than that the doctor would be in soon to fill the parents in. Katie her best to not look too disappointed when she walked back into Jess' hospital room._

_ "Sorry sweetie," she said, "they wouldn't tell me anything." _

_ "It's fi…" Jess started before the sound of the door opening interrupted them. The doctor walked in and let the door close roughly behind him. As soon as the door slammed Howell and Becker jolted awake, which caused them both to tumble out of their seats. Katie let out a short burst of laughter, but buried her face into Howell's shirt once he stood up so they could listen to the doctor._

_ "Both girls are fine," he said simply, probably realizing that the parents wanted the short version before the long winded medical explanation._

_"Based on the tests we've run, the girls are identical." The doctor said, which made Katie snort and everyone looked at her in surprise._

_ "They're gonna drive you crazy," she said, though her voice was slightly muffled by Howell's shirt. Everyone in the room smiled for a moment, even the doctor, at the image of two identical girls being chased by an exhausted Jess and Becker. It was Becker who finally broke into the revelry with the same question he'd asked in the elevator._

_ "Why didn't we know?" The doctor looked a little embarrassed as he stared down at the clipboard in his hand._

_ "Well, it seems that the girls suffered from a condition called Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome." He paused to take in the confused faces, but none of the others wanted to interrupt him. "It only happens with identical twins, and basically one twin gets more blood than the other. In this case it was Paige who developed more blood vessels in her side of the placenta, which left Baby B to grow at a slower rate. Normally there are treatments we can do when the twins are still in the womb, but because of Baby B's smaller-,"_

_ "Stop calling her that!" Jess snapped, making her friends stare at her in shock. No one had ever seen Jess angry before, let along that pissed off. "It makes her sound inhuman." Becker wrapped his arms around her, the look on his face saying he was as uncomfortable with the situation as she was._

_ "Her name's Maya," Becker explained to the startled doctor. The other man nodded, his face returning to the expressionless mask that most doctors wear. _

_ "Right, well Because of Maya's size and probable position she was blocked from view by Paige." The doctor sighed softly and looked at the four expectant faces in the room. "They'll need to stay in hospital for a few days at least, but it looks like you have two healthy girls." Jess promptly burst into tears, which Katie was pretty sure were happy ones, and Becker let out an audible sigh of relief before wrapping his wife in his arms again. The doctor stood awkwardly in the room until a nurse stuck her head in to ask for him and he bolted from the room. Katie figured he most likely wanting to get away from the tension in the room, either that or Becker and Howell had threatened him. _

When Jess finally opened the door, jolting Katie back into reality, she had to admit that all the stress and hard work had been worth it. She was about to greet her friend when Jess held her finger to her lips and motioned for Katie to come in. Katie frowned her confusion, but followed Jess anyway. As soon as she rounded the side of the couch Katie knew the reason for Jess' request for quiet.

Both girls sighed at the sight of Becker asleep on the couch with both the girls sprawled sleepily across his chest. The girls had their eyes tightly closed and their tiny pink lips were parted slightly, though they closed in surprise whenever Becker randomly snored. The pink cloth of the blanket that covered them stood out against the black of Becker's t-shirt, which both girls had enclosed tightly in their tiny fists.

"There has to be a law against that much cuteness," Katie murmured so that only Jess could hear her. Jess stifled a giggle, her eyes darting at the three people sleeping on the couch. They stood in silence for a minute, just absorbing the cuteness, until a knock at the door made them jump in surprise. The girls jumped as well, which disturbed Becker enough to make him drape a protective arm across his girls. Jess scampered to open the door before the person outside could make any more noise. Seeing an opportunity Kate quickly pulled out her cell phone and started snapping pictures of the sleeping soldier.

"What are you doing?" Jess' soft question had Katie jumping guiltily and staring at the floor, where she scuffed her foot against the carpet. Before her eyes had darted to the ground, she saw Abby standing behind Jess fighting to hide a smile.

"Teasing ammo," she said wiggling the phone back and forth for them to see. To her surprise the other two women pulled out their phones and started taking pictures with slightly maniacal smiles on their faces.

Three hours later the party was in full swing, at least a quiet full swing since the girls had fallen asleep again after waking up for about an hour. There were at least twenty people crammed into the large flat, mostly Jess' family, and everyone seemed to be having a decent time. Becker looked refreshed after his nap, or at least that's what the girls kept teasing him about. Though Jess' teasing didn't hold much weight since she just ended up kissing him when he started to turn red. It was quickly evident that his embarrassment was more from being caught unawares than for napping with his daughters. He'd even stolen Jess' phone so he could send the pictures to his own cell saying he wanted to show his girls off. Katie simply stood in the background and watched her friends tittering over the babies, the girls tittered and the boys slapped Becker on the back for a job well done. Katie laughed as Jess glared at Connor when he said it a little too loud and asked him just how hard Becker had worked since he didn't actually give birth. Her normally stoic husband was doing everything in his power to keep from laughing at the panicked look on the computer genius' face.

Pushing herself away from the wall Katie made her way over to her two goddaughters, instantly melting when she saw the tightly closed eyes and pouted lips.

"Jelous?" Howell asked coming up next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. She shrugged softly so she wouldn't dislodge him.

"A little," she admitted after a moment, "Are you?" She knew that Howell wanted a family eventually, just like he knew that she wanted to be a mother.

"Definitely," he said without hesitation, "Wanna try?" he asked wiggling his eye brows comically. Katie burst out laughing, but quickly curbed the sound when the girls started squirming in their bassinets.

"Let's start with step one," she said quietly with laughter in her voice. She felt Howell press his lips against her hair, and he lifted her left hand so he could see the small sapphire and diamonds glittering in the light.

"Good idea," he said, "When do you want to tell the other?"

"Give it a few days, or else jess will spend the rest of the night planning the wedding." They both grimaced at the thought, before laughing again and Katie leaned farther into Howell's chest. They stood there for a while, just content to be in each other's arms and imagining what it would be like to have that for a life time.


End file.
